Nepedia
Back to Discover
Advanced Reader
🧬

Rosales

life science Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Rosales is a large order of flowering plants. It includes approximately 7,700 different species. These plants are divided into nine distinct families. They also belong to about 260 different genera. This group is very important to humans. It includes many plants we eat every day. It also includes plants used for medicine and industry.

Scientists use DNA sequences to study these plants. This process is called phylogenetic analysis. It helps researchers understand how different species are related. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group uses these studies to classify plants. Their APG III system is a modern way to organize them. This system shows that Rosales is monophyletic. This means all the plants in the order share a common ancestor.

In the past, classification systems were different. The Dahlgren system placed Rosales in a group called Rosiflorae. The older Cronquist system was often polyphyletic. This means it grouped plants together that did not share a direct ancestor. In that system, the Rosaceae family was grouped with 23 other families. Most of those families are now placed in different orders. Modern science has corrected these older groupings using genetic data.

Today, the APG III system recognizes nine specific families in Rosales. These include Cannabaceae, which is the hemp family. There is also Dirachmaceae and Elaeagnaceae. The Moraceae is the mulberry family. Rhamnaceae is the buckthorn family. Rosaceae is the rose family. Ulmaceae is the elm family. Finally, Urticaceae is the nettle family.

Researchers have found that Rosales is divided into three clades. A clade is a group of organisms that includes a common ancestor. The first clade is basal and contains the Rosaceae family. The second clade contains four families, such as Rhamnaceae. The third clade consists of the four urticalean families. This order is also a sister to a group containing Fagales and Cucurbitales.

Many Rosales species use wind-pollination. This is a process where the wind carries pollen to other plants. This method is used by families like Moraceae, Ulmaceae, and Urticaceae. These plants can be found almost anywhere on Earth. They grow in the mountains and the tropics. They even grow in the arctic. However, specific families usually prefer certain geographical locations.

The Rosaceae family is very economically important. It contains 91 species out of 4,828 in its group. This family produces many fruits like apples, pears, and plums. It also includes peaches, cherries, and apricots. You can find strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries here too. Many people also grow ornamental roses from this family. Modern rose varieties come from complex hybrids of wild species from Eurasia.

Other families provide unique resources. The Moraceae family produces figs, mulberries, and breadfruit. Mulberry leaves are used to feed silkworms for silk production. Some cherry wood, like from the black cherry, is used for furniture. The cannabis plant has been used for hemp and medicine for millennia. Some fig trees contain an enzyme called ficin. This enzyme can kill roundworms in the intestines of animals.

492 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.