Maloideae

plant subfamily

Also known as: apple subfamily

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fossils

In Rosales: Evolution
In the subfamily Maloideae, fruit and seed remains have been recognized from the genera Crataegus and Pyrus. Leaf fossils are described for Cydonia, Amelanchier, and Crataegus. In the subfamily Rosoideae, fruits of Potentilla and Rubus are known from the Pliocene Epoch (about 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago)…
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Rosaceae

In Rosales: Characteristic morphological features
…(plum subfamily), with drupes; and Maloideae (apple subfamily), with pomes. As a member of Rosoideae, strawberries have achenes, although this is not obvious to the casual observer, as they are tiny and occur on the surface of the enlarged flower axis, or receptacle. The pome is unique to Maloideae and…
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bramble

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bramble

plant

Also known as: Rubus

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Related Topics:: raspberry; blackberry; dewberry; loganberry; boysenberry

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bramble, (genus Rubus), large genus of flowering plants in the rose family (Rosaceae), consisting of usually prickly shrubs. Brambles occur naturally throughout the world, especially in temperate areas, and a number are invasive species outside their native range. Many are widely cultivated for their fruits, including raspberries, blackberries, and hybrids such as loganberries and boysenberries.

dewberryDewberry (*Rubus* species), a trailing blackberry that yields edible fruits.

raspberriesRed raspberries (*Rubus idaeus*).

Brambles are typically erect or trailing shrubs with canelike stems, though some species are herbaceous. Many spread vegetatively and are frequently armed with prickles or hairs along their branches. The leaves can be simple or compound and are often toothed or lobed; a number of species are deciduous. The five-petaled flowers are usually white or pink and produce a characteristic fruit known as an aggregate of druplets. Many species freely hybridize with each other, making classification extremely difficult.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.