Taxonomy
The subfamily was given the name Pomoideae Juss. in 1789, but this name is no longer accepted under the nomenclature codes because it is not based on a genus name. It has also been separated into its own family the Malaceae Small (formerly Pomaceae Lindl.).
Recent molecular data have shown that the traditional subfamily Spiraeoideae is paraphyletic, and to best reflect relationships subfamily Amygdaloideae has been expanded to include the former Spiraeoideae and Maloideae.
An earlier intermediate classification expanded Maloideae to include four genera with dry non-pome fruit. These are Kageneckia, Lindleya, and Vauquelinia, which have a haploid chromosome count of 15 or 17, and Gillenia, which is herbaceous and has a haploid chromosome count of 9.
A traditional circumscription of Maloideae includes the following genera:
Amelanchier - serviceberry, juneberry
Aria (see Sorbus)
Aronia - chokeberry
Chaenomeles - Japanese quince
Chamaemeles
Chamaemespilus (see Sorbus chamaemespilus)
Cormus (see Sorbus)
Cotoneaster - cotoneaster
Crataegus - hawthorn
Cydonia - quince
Dichotomanthes
Docynia
Docyniopsis
Eriobotrya - loquat
Eriolobus
Hesperomeles
Heteromeles - toyon
Malacomeles
Malus - apple, crabapple
Mespilus - medlar
Osteomeles
Peraphyllum
Photinia
Pseudocydonia - Chinese quince
Pyracantha - firethorn
Pyrus - pear
Rhaphiolepis - hawthorn
Sorbus - rowan, whitebeam, service tree
Stranvaesia = Photinia pro parte
Torminalis (see Sorbus torminalis)
intergeneric hybrids:
×Amelasorbus
×Crataegosorbus
×Crataemespilus
×Malosorbus
×Sorbocotoneaster
×Sorbopyrus
and graft hybrids:
+Crataegomespilus
+Pyrocydonia (Pirocydonia)
Read more about this topic: Maloideae