Malinae is the name for the apple subtribe in the rose family,
Rosaceae. This name is required by the
International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, which came into force in 2011 (article 19) for any group at the subtribe rank that includes the genus ''Malus'' but not either of the genera ''Rosa'' or ''Amygdalus''.
The group includes a number of plants bearing commercially important
fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
s, such as
apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
s and
pear
Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the po ...
s, while others are cultivated as ornamentals.
The tribe consists exclusively of
shrubs and small
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s characterised by a
pome, a type of
accessory fruit
An accessory fruit is a fruit in which some of the flesh is derived not from the floral ovary but from some adjacent tissue exterior to the carpel.Esau, K. 1977. ''Anatomy of seed plants''. John Wiley and Sons, New York. Accessory fruits are u ...
that does not occur in other Rosaceae, and by a basal
haploid chromosome
A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...
count of 17 (instead of 7, 8, 9, or 15 as in the other Rosaceae). There are approximately 28 genera with approximately 1100 species worldwide, with most species occurring in the temperate Northern Hemisphere.
Taxonomy
The Malinae as currently circumscribed include the following genera:
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6743716
Plant subtribes