FNA: Mespilus vs. Rosaceae tribe Maleae

Distribution

Eurasia [Introduced, Wash.]

HI; North America; Mexico; Central America; Eurasia; Africa; Atlantic Islands (Madeira) [Introduced in temperate southern hemisphere]

Discussion

Species 1.

The Eurasian Mespilus germanica is a minor fruit, occasionally cultivated and naturalized in North America. Mespilus is retained here in the traditional concept of M. germanica, because it is distinct on a variety of characteristics and has a sister position to Crataegus (C. S. Campbell et al. 2007; E. Y. Y. Lo et al. 2007; D. Potter et al. 2007; Li Q. Y. et al. 2012; Lo and M. J. Donoghue 2012). Reproductive woody short shoots with close internodes, normal in Crataegus, occur frequently, though not universally; in the latter case, the inflorescence is borne on an annual short shoot lateral to or terminal on an extension shoot. Other notable characteristics of Mespilus that distinguish it from Crataegus include brownish fruit indicating mammal dispersal (C. M. Herrera 1989); large, hairy, eglandular bracteoles; extremely wide hypanthial opening in fruit; pyrenes covered by tissue of disc; and erect to connivent foliaceous fruiting sepals with bases distinct. Mespilus characters rarely seen in Crataegus are uniflorous inflorescences (found in C. uniflora); inflorescences borne on annual short shoots as noted above, very large flowers and stamens 25–35 (found in C. triflora).

The triploid ×Crataemespilus canescens (J. B. Phipps) J. B. Phipps (Mespilus canescens J. B. Phipps), is a plant with great horticultural potential. It is a large bush with numerous fasciculate stems; exfoliating bark; simple, nearly entire leaves; 2–6-flowered, semipendant, usually racemose, inflorescences that are commonly borne on short shoots of the season lateral to an extension shoot; flowers very like M. germanica in size and general appearance, but with fewer stamens; small bright red, hawthornlike fruit; large, abaxially hairy bracteoles with scattered very large marginal glands. A substantial colony has existed at one site in Arkansas.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Genera 29, species 550–840+ (18 genera, 270 species, including 18 hybrids, in the flora).

The family name Malaceae Small (1903) is a conserved name, with Malus as its type genus. In contrast, the family name Pyraceae Vest (1818), with Pyrus as its type, is not a conserved name. Although Maleae was published later than Pyreae (1869), a Rosaceae tribe that includes both Malus and Pyrus is to be called Maleae (see Melbourne Code, Article 19.5, Example 5).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key

1. Leaf margins usually horny; carpels free; flowers: perianth and androecium perigynous; fruits woody capsules surrounded by a hypanthium, splitting into 5 follicles; seeds winged	Vauquelinia
1. Leaf margins not horny; carpels ± adnate to hypanthium; flowers: perianth and androecium epigynous; fruits pomes; seeds not winged or pyrenes.	→ 2
2. Fruiting carpels woody or bony.	→ 3
3. Leaf margins entire; stipules short-adnate to petiole; stems unarmed; sepals erect in flower; petal base clawed.	Cotoneaster
3. Leaf margins ± serrate, crenate, serrulate, or crenulate, sometimes entire; stipules free; stems usually armed (sometimes with compound thorns), sometimes unarmed; sepals spreading in flower; petal base slightly or barely clawed.	→ 4
4. Leaves persistent or late-deciduous; flowers 3–10(–12) mm diam., hypanthium campanulate; pomes 3–8 mm diam.	Pyracantha
4. Leaves deciduous (sometimes winter-persistent in south); flowers 8–35 mm diam., hypanthium ± obconic; pomes 6–40 mm diam.	→ 5
5. Flowers 8–25 mm diam., stamens 5–20 (rarely 30–45); pomes yellow to red or purplish to black mature, 6–20(–25) mm diam.; pyrenes 1–5; short shoots present; inflorescences 1–50-flowered, domed panicles, corymbose, or flowers solitary.	Crataegus
5. Flowers 25–35 mm diam., stamens 25–35(–40); pomes brownish, 15–40 mm diam.; pyrenes 5; short shoots rare or absent; inflorescences 1(or 2) flowered	Mespilus
2. Fruiting carpels cartilaginous.	→ 6
6. Stems armed (thorns present).>	→ 7
7. Stipules persistent; pedicels short or absent; styles basally connate 1/3 of length; pome flesh without stones; stamens 40–60; fruiting sepals deciduous.	Chaenomeles
7. Stipules usually deciduous or caducous; pedicels present; styles distinct or basally connate; pome flesh with stones (at least near carpels and epidermis); stamens 15–50; fruiting sepals persistent or deciduous.	→ 8
8. Pome flesh with stone cells adjacent to carpels and epidermis; styles basally connate.	Malus
8. Pome flesh with abundant stone or grit cells; styles distinct.	Pyrus
6. Stems unarmed.	→ 9
9. Inflorescences: flowers solitary or 1–5-flowered, corymbs or cymes.	→ 10
10. Pomes yellow; ovules (seeds) many; inflorescences: flowers solitary.	→ 11
11. Leaf margins entire, abaxial surfaces densely villous; buds ovoid, apices obtuse or acuminate, tomentose; young branches tomentose, glabrescent; stipules caducous; flowers 40–50 mm diam., petals white or light pink, suborbiculate, ovate, or obovate, stamens equal to or slightly longer than petals; pomes pyriform or subglobose, 30–50 mm.	Cydonia
10. Pomes pink, yellow-orange, purple, purplish or bluish black, brownish, or nearly black; ovules (seeds) (1 or)2; inflorescences 1–5-flowered, cymes or corymbs.	→ 12
12. Pomes yellow-orange; stipules adnate to petiole and base of blade; petioles short or absent; leaf blades elliptic to oblanceolate or linear.	Peraphyllum
12. Pomes pink, bluish or purplish black, purple, brownish, or nearly black; stipules free; petioles present; leaf blades elliptic, elliptic-oblong, or oblong-ovate to orbiculate.	→ 13
13. Leaves leathery, drought-deciduous or persistent; sepals nearly orbiculate (inner broadly deltate), petals round or kidney-shaped; carpels barely connate or distinct, styles lateral; pomes translucent, vivid pink, drying purplish black.	Malacomeles
13. Leaves membranous to coriaceous (not leathery), deciduous; sepals triangular to lanceolate, petals linear to orbiculate; carpels connate, styles terminal; pomes bluish or purplish to nearly black, pinkish or maroon-purple, dark purple-blue, or brownish.	Amelanchier
9. Inflorescences (4 or)5–400+-flowered, panicles, sometimes racemes, corymbs, or subumbellate.	→ 14
14. Leaves persistent, leathery; carpels basally adnate to hypanthium.	→ 15
15. Leaf margins flat; flowers 15–20 mm diam.; pedicels short or nearly absent; hypanthia usually tomentose; stamens 20; carpels connate, styles (2–)5; pomes soft apricot yellow, 20–30 mm (diam.).	Eriobotrya
15. Leaf margins revolute; flowers 10 mm diam.; pedicels present; hypanthia glabrous or weakly floccose; stamens 10; carpels distinct, styles 2 or 3; pomes usually bright red, sometimes yellow, 5–10 mm	Heteromeles
14. Leaves usually deciduous, sometimes semipersistent or persistent (then margin entire), membranous to ± leathery; carpels adnate to all or 1/3–1/2 of hypanthium.	→ 16
16. Pome flesh with stones or sclereids.	→ 17
17. Inflorescences terminal, 6–400+-flowered flat-topped or rounded panicles; flowers opening after leaf expansion, 5–17 mm diam.; sepals erect or ascending; leaves pinnately divided, sometimes simple or lobed.	Sorbus
17. Inflorescences terminal on short shoots, 4–9-flowered racemes or simple corymbs, umbel-like; flowers developing with or before leaves, 15–45 mm diam.; sepals reflexed; leaves simple.	Pyrus
16. Pome flesh without stones.	→ 18
18. Stipules adnate to petiole, persistent	Aronia
18. Stipules free, caducous or deciduous.	→ 19
19. Leaves persistent or deciduous; inflorescences corymbose or subumbellate; pomes red or black.	Photinia
19. Leaves deciduous; inflorescences racemes; pomes bluish or purplish to nearly black, pinkish or maroon-purple, dark purple-blue, or brownish	Amelanchier