| Maleae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lindleya mespiloides in bloom | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Subfamily: | Amygdaloideae |
| Tribe: | Maleae Small 1933 |
| Subtribes | |
| Synonyms | |
TheMaleae (incorrectlyPyreae) are theapple tribe in the rose family,Rosaceae. The group includes a number of plants bearing commercially importantfruits, such asapples andpears, while others are cultivated as ornamentals. Older taxonomies separated some of this group as tribeCrataegeae,[2][3] as theCydonia group (a tentative placement),[3] or some genera were placed in familyQuillajaceae.[3]
The tribe consists exclusively ofshrubs and smalltrees. Most havepomes, a type ofaccessory fruit that does not occur in other Rosaceae. All exceptVauquelinia (with 15 chromosomes) have a basalhaploidchromosome count of 17, instead of 7, 8, or 9 as in the other Rosaceae.[4]
There are approximately 28 genera that contain about 1100 species worldwide, with most species occurring in the temperate Northern Hemisphere.
A traditional circumscription of Maleae includes the following genera:[2][3][5][6]
andgraft chimeras:
+ Pyrocydonia (Pirocydonia)
A recent taxonomic treatment includes the following genera in Maleae that were earlier separated as tribe Crataegeae (or as intertribe hybrids):[10]
intergeneric (including intertribal) hybrids:[8]
and the graft hybrid:
The following genera were previously placed in tribe Quillajeae in Rosaceae, or in family Quillajaceae. Their fruit are dry capsules, not pomes.
TheCydonia group within the Maloid Rosaceae was a tentative grouping of pome-fruited genera with many ovules (rather than just two) per carpel.[3] The genera involved were:
It is not yet clear whether this group is monophyletic within the Maleae. Molecular data indicate a close relationship betweenCydonia andPseudocydonia.[6] Multiple ovules per carpel also occur inKageneckia, a non-pome-bearing genus.[6]Chloroplast DNA analysis, but not nuclear DNA, shows a tight relationship betweenCydonia andDichotomanthes, a non-pome-bearing genus.[6]
