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mandrake

(Encyclopedia)mandrake, plant of the family Solanaceae (nightshade family), the source of a narcotic much used during the Middle Ages as a pain-killer and perhaps the subject of more superstition than any other pla...

moth mullein

(Encyclopedia)moth mullein, common name for the mullein Verbascum blatteria, a plant native to Europe and naturalized as a weed in the United States. It is a member of the family Scrophulariaceae (figwort family). ...

fireweed

(Encyclopedia)fireweed, any of several plants that spring up in fire-swept regions, especially the great willow herb Epilobium, which is classified in the family Onagraceae (evening primrose family). ...

manes

(Encyclopedia)manes māˈnēz [key], in Roman religion, spirits of the dead. Originally, they were called di manes, a collective divinity of the dead. Manes could also refer to the realm of the dead and, later, to ...

mullet

(Encyclopedia)mullet, blunt-nosed, tropical and temperate water fishes of the family Mugilidae, found worldwide. Small schools of mullets frequent shallow waters, feeding on aquatic plants and on mud, which is grou...

gaillardia

(Encyclopedia)gaillardia gālärˈdēə [key], any plant of the genus Gaillardia of the Asteaceae family (aster family), including annual, biennial, and perennial herbs with showy heads of red and/or yellow ray flo...

coriander

(Encyclopedia)coriander kōrˌēănˈdər [key], strong-smelling Old World annual herb (Coriandrum sativum) of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), cultivated for its fruits. Dried coriander seed contains an a...

coltsfoot

(Encyclopedia)coltsfoot, Eurasian perennial herb (Tussilago farfara) of the family Asteraceae (aster family), now a widespread weed in most northern lands. The scaly flower stalk bears a yellow flower head and down...

self-heal

(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 the Old World, sel...

shepherd's-purse

(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 regions. It is ...