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violet

(Encyclopedia)violet, common name for some members of the Violaceae, a family of chiefly perennial herbs (and sometimes shrubs, small trees, or climbers) found on all continents. Violets, including the genus Viola ...

potato beetle

(Encyclopedia)potato beetle, name for two beetles of the leaf beetle family and for two of the blister beetle family, all destructive to the potato plant and its relatives. Most notorious is the Colorado potato bee...

myrtle

(Encyclopedia)myrtle, common name for the Myrtaceae, a family of shrubs and trees almost entirely of tropical regions, especially in America and Australia. The family is characterized by leaves (usually evergreen) ...

bromeliad

(Encyclopedia)bromeliad, common name for plants of the family Bromeliaceae (pineapple family). ...

frostweed

(Encyclopedia)frostweed or frostwort, North American woodland flowers (Helianthemum canadense and sometimes other related species) of the family Cistaceae (rockrose family). In cold weather, crystals of ice shoot f...

flowering almond

(Encyclopedia)flowering almond, name for several species of ornamental shrubs of the genus Prunus, of the family Rosaceae (rose family), chiefly those which also include the true almond, peach, plum, cherry, and ap...

burning bush

(Encyclopedia)burning bush, name for a North American plant of the family Celastraceae (staff tree family). The scriptural burning bush not consumed by fire (Ex. 3.2) is sometimes associated with a bramble or thorn...

Indian pipe

(Encyclopedia)Indian pipe, common name for the genus Monotropa and for the family Monotropaceae, low flowering plants of north temperate zones. They are chlorophylless saprophytes with a funguslike appearance. Each...

love-in-a-mist

(Encyclopedia)love-in-a-mist, hardy annual garden plant (Nigella damascena) of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup family), having finely cut foliage and blue or white flowers surrounded by a cluster of thready bra...

legume

(Encyclopedia)legume lĕˈgyo͞om, lĭgyo͞omˈ [key], common name for any plant of the family Leguminosae, which is called also the pulse, legume, pea, or bean family. The word is often used loosely in the plural ...