Rose family

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Plants in the rose family usually have flowers that are open with five conspicuous petals, as exemplified by the wild or dog rose itself and by cinquefoils such as silverweed, although one cinquefoil, tormentil breaks this rule by having only four petals.

Several plants in the family are shrubs or trees. These include the wild cherry and the wild service, a rare tree that is found mainly in ancient woodland, and two shrubby trees that are very common in hedgerows and in scrubby areas, hawthorn and blackthorn.

Others in the family have smaller flowers, in clusters like meadowsweet or in spikes like agrimony.


© Phil Luke