| Noun | 1. | order Rubiales - an order of dicotyledonous plants of the subclass Asteridae; have opposite leaves and an inferior compound ovary plant order - the order of plants Asteridae, 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 Dipsacaceae, family Dipsacaceae - chiefly southern European herbs with flowers usually in dense cymose heads family Valerianaceae, valerian family, Valerianaceae - genus of mostly herbs having a characteristic fetid odor |