Columbia Encyclopedia

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ground ivy

(Encyclopedia)ground ivy, trailing perennial herb of the genus Glechoma of the family Labiatae (mint family), closely related to catnip and naturalized from Europe. It forms a dense ground cover and spreads rapidly...

ninebark

(Encyclopedia)ninebark, any plant of the genus Physocarpus of the family Rosaceae (rose family). Ninebarks are North American (one is Asian) deciduous, hardy, spring-blooming shrubs, with thin bark which peels off ...

lovage

(Encyclopedia)lovage, tall perennial herb (Levisticum officinale) of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), native to the mountains of S Europe and cultivated elsewhere. Its aromatic fruits are used in soups and...

winterberry

(Encyclopedia)winterberry, name for two species of shrubs or small trees of the genus Ilex of the family Aquifoliaceae (holly family), native to the eastern half of North America. Both are deciduous but have winter...

bird-of-paradise flower

(Encyclopedia)bird-of-paradise flower, large tropical herb (Strelitzia reginae) of the family Musaceae (banana family), native to S Africa. Its large blue and orange blossom resembles an exotic bird; it is cultivat...

black gum

(Encyclopedia)black gum, ornamental deciduous tree (Nyssa sylvatica family Nyssaceae) native to E North America. The leaves turn bright scarlet in the fall. The very tough wood was used for wheel hubs and other pur...

Bermuda grass

(Encyclopedia)Bermuda grass, perennial pasture, lawn, and hay grass (Cynodon dactylon) of the family Poaceae (grass family), native to Africa and Asia and now common in warm regions of both hemispheres. It is the s...

salpiglossis

(Encyclopedia)salpiglossis sălˌpəglŏsˈəs [key], any plant of the genus Salpiglossis of the family Solanaceae (nightshade family), herbs native to Chile and widely cultivated elsewhere as garden annuals for th...

minnow

(Encyclopedia)minnow, common name for the Cyprinidae, a large family of freshwater fish which includes the carp (Cyprinus carpio), and of which there are some 2,400 species. Minnows have soft-rayed fins and teeth i...

Scouts

(Encyclopedia)Scouts or Boy Scouts, organization of boys and girls 11 to 17 years old, founded (1907) in Great Britain by Sir Robert (later Lord) Baden-Powell and originally for boys only; since the late 20th cent....