| Noun | 1. | Rubiales - an order of dicotyledonous plants of the subclass Asteridae; have opposite leaves and an inferior compound ovaryAsteridae, subclass Asteridae - a group of mostly sympetalous herbs and some trees and shrubs mostly with 2 fused carpels; contains 43 families including Campanulales; Solanaceae; Scrophulariaceae; Labiatae; Verbenaceae; Rubiaceae; Compositae; sometimes classified as a superorder family Rubiaceae, madder family, Rubiaceae - widely distributed family of mostly tropical trees and shrubs and herbs; includes coffee and chinchona and gardenia and madder and bedstraws and partridgeberry | |