Columbia Encyclopedia

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scheelite

(Encyclopedia)scheelite shāˈlīt, shēˈ– [key], heavy white or yellow mineral, calcium tungstate, CaWO4, crystallizing in the tetragonal system. It is found in granite pegmatites, in contact-metamorphic deposi...

daisy

(Encyclopedia)daisy [O.E.,=day's eye], name for several common wildflowers of the family Asteraceae (aster family). The daisy of literature, the true daisy, is Bellis perennis, called in the United States English d...

magnolia, in botany

(Encyclopedia)magnolia, common name for plants of the genus Magnolia, and for the Magnoliaceae, a family of deciduous or evergreen trees and shrubs, often with showy flowers. They are principally of north temperate...

mandrill

(Encyclopedia)mandrill, large monkey, Mandrillus sphinx, of central W Africa, related to the baboons. Mandrills are found in forests, while baboons live in open country. The fur of the mandrill is mostly dark brown...

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 ...

sunflower

(Encyclopedia)sunflower, any plant of the genus Helianthus of the family Asteraceae (aster family), annual or perennial herbs native to the New World and common throughout the United States. In cultivation, the flo...

polyp and medusa

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Polyp and medusa stages in the life cycle of Obelia, representative of the phylum Cnidaria polyp and medusa, names for the two body forms, one nonmotile and one typically free swimming, found ...

DEET

(Encyclopedia)DEET or N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, C12H17ON, nearly odorless, colorless to clear yellow oily liquid that boils at 111℃. DEET was developed by the U.S. Army in 1946 for use as an insect repellent an...

polycarbonates

(Encyclopedia)polycarbonates, group of clear, thermoplastic polymers used mainly as molding compounds (see plastic). Polycarbonates are prepared by the reaction of an aromatic difunctional phenol with either phosge...

Caño Cristales

(Encyclopedia)Caño Cristales, river, c.62 mi (100 km) long, central Colombia, rising in Serranía de la Macarena National Park and flowing SE to the Guayabero River. Also known as the “River of Five Colors” or...