(Encyclopedia) yerba buenayerba buenayĕrˈbə bwāˈnə [key], trailing evergreen perennial (Micromeria chamissonis) of the family Labiatae (mint family). It is native to W North America and especially…
(Encyclopedia) shepherd's-purse, annual herb (Capsella bursa-pastoris) of the family Cruciferae (or Brassicaceae; mustard family), indigenous to Europe but now a nearly cosmopolitan weed in temperate…
(Encyclopedia) self-heal or heal-all, weedy perennial (Prunella vulgaris) with the typical angular stems and bluish flowers of the family Labiatae (mint family). Although it probably originated in…
(Encyclopedia) springtail, common name for any of the minute, primitive six-legged arthropods of the order Collembola. The springtail is named for a springlike mechanism on the underside of the…
(Encyclopedia) rheumatismrheumatismr&oomacr;ˈmətĭzəm [key], general term for a number of disorders that cause inflammation and pain in muscles, bones, joints, or nerves. In common usage arthritis…
(Encyclopedia) rhizomerhizomerīˈzōm [key] or rootstock, fleshy, creeping underground stem by means of which certain plants propagate themselves. Buds that form at the joints produce new shoots. Thus…
(Encyclopedia) cystitiscystitissĭstīˈtĭs [key], common acute or chronic inflammation of the urinary bladder. The disease occurs primarily in young women and frequently results from bacterial invasion…
(Encyclopedia) EssenesEssenesĕsˈēnz [key], members of a small Jewish religious order, originating in the 2d cent. b.c. The chief sources of information about the Essenes are Pliny the Elder, Philo's…
(Encyclopedia) hamster, Old World rodent, related to the voles, lemmings, and New World mice. There are many hamster species, classified in several genera. All are solitary, burrowing, nocturnal…
(Encyclopedia) era, period of historic time. In geology, it is the name applied to large divisions of geological process, e.g., Paleozoic era (see geology). In chronology an era is a period reckoned…
