Cornales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cornales
A Dove tree in flower, which is part of the Nyssaceae family.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Cornales Dumortier
Families
See text.

The Cornales is a group, or order, of flowering plants. It includes about 600 different kinds of plants. These plants are considered a foundational group within the larger Asterids group.

Plants in the Cornales order often have flowers with four main parts. Their fruits are usually drupes, which are fleshy fruits with a hard pit inside, like a peach or a cherry. The part of the flower that develops into the fruit, called the gynoecium, is usually positioned below the other flower parts. It often has a disc-shaped area on top that produces nectar, a sweet liquid that attracts pollinators.

Scientists use a system called the APG system to classify flowering plants. Under this system, the Cornales order includes several important plant families:

• Cornaceae: This is the dogwood family. It also includes the tupelo trees, which are part of the Nyssaceae family.
• Curtisiaceae: This family includes the cape lancewood tree.
• Grubbiaceae: This family is sometimes called the sillyberry family.
• Hydrangeaceae: This is the well-known hydrangea family.
• Hydrostachyaceae: These are aquatic plants that grow in fast-flowing water.
• Loasaceae: This family is known as the stickleaf family.