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pickerelweed

(Encyclopedia)pickerelweed, common name for the Pontederiaceae, a family of chiefly tropical perennial aquatic herbs found in freshwater. The pickerelweeds (genus Pontederia) range north into temperate regions, inc...

pigweed

(Encyclopedia)pigweed, name for several weedy plants, particularly the common pigweed or lamb's-quarters of the family Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot family), the rough pigweed, or green amaranth, of the related family ...

patchouli

(Encyclopedia)patchouli or patchouly both: păchˈo͝olē, pəcho͞oˈlē [key], fragrant shrubby East Indian plant (Pogostemon cablin or P. patchouli) of the family Labiatae (mint family). It is the source of a pe...

baby's breath

(Encyclopedia)baby's breath, name for a plant of the family Caryophyllaceae (pink family) and for several other flowers, e.g., white bedstraw of the family Rubiaceae (madder family) and grape hyacinth of the family...

safflower

(Encyclopedia)safflower, Eurasian thistlelike herb (Carthamus tinctorius) of the family Asteraceae (aster family). Safflower, or false saffron, has long been cultivated in S Asia and Egypt for food and medicine and...

sandbur

(Encyclopedia)sandbur or bur grass, any species of the genus Cenchrus of the family Poaceae (grass family), sandy-soil plants of tropical and temperate regions. At maturity the sharp spines and burlike seeds make t...

sandalwood

(Encyclopedia)sandalwood, name for several fragrant tropical woods, especially for Santalum album, an evergreen partially parasitic tree either native to India or introduced there centuries ago. It is used for joss...

pyracantha

(Encyclopedia)pyracantha pĭrˌəkănˈthə [key] or firethorn, any hardwood evergreen shrub of the genus Pyracantha of the family Rosaceae (rose family). Native from S Europe to W China, pyracanthas are now cultiv...

quassia

(Encyclopedia)quassia kwŏshˈə [key], name for several tropical trees and for a bitter extract from their bark. The extract containing complex terpenoid compounds called quassinoids is used medicinally as a bitte...

oxeye

(Encyclopedia)oxeye, name for several plants, e.g., the oxeye daisy and black-eyed Susan, but particularly for two genera: Heliopsis, native to North America, and Buphthalmum, native to Europe and W Asia but cultiv...