Columbia Encyclopedia

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cocklebur

(Encyclopedia)cocklebur or clotbur, any species of the genus Xanthium, widely distributed, coarse annual plants of the family Asteraceae (aster family). They are often persistent weeds; the two-seeded oval burrs ar...

chickpea

(Encyclopedia)chickpea, annual plant (Cicer arietinum) of the family Leguminosae (pulse family), cultivated since antiquity for the somewhat pealike seeds, which are often used as food and forage, principally in In...

petunia

(Encyclopedia)petunia, any plant of the genus Petunia, South American herbs of the family Solanaceae (nightshade family). The common garden petunias, planted also in window boxes, are all considered hybrids of whit...

catnip

(Encyclopedia)catnip or catmint, strong-scented perennial herb (Nepeta cataria) of the family Labiatae (mint family), native to Europe and Asia but naturalized in the United States. A tea of the leaves and flowing ...

butterfly flower

(Encyclopedia)butterfly flower, fringeflower, or poor-man's-orchid, any of the showy plants of the genus Schizanthus of the family Solanaceae (nightshade family), native to Chile but grown elsewhere as garden or g...

candytuft

(Encyclopedia)candytuft, any plant of the genus Iberis of the family Cruciferae (or Brassicaceae; mustard family), low-growing plants of the Old World. A number of half-hardy annuals and evergreen perennials are cu...

blazing star

(Encyclopedia)blazing star or button snakeroot, any plant of the genus Liatris, showy North American perennials of the family Asteraceae (aster family). The blossoms, rosy purple or white, are in somewhat feathery ...

Malatesta

(Encyclopedia)Malatesta mälätĕˈstä [key], Italian family, ruling Rimini and nearby cities for almost 300 years from the 13th to 16th cent. Malatesta da Verucchio (d. 1312), a powerful Guelph leader, became (12...

goosefoot

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Lamb's-quarters Chenopodium album, a member of the goosefoot family goosefoot, common name for the genus Chenopodium, as well as for the goosefoot family, Chenopodiaceae, a family of widely di...

balm of Gilead

(Encyclopedia)balm of Gilead gĭlˈēəd [key], name for several plants belonging to different taxonomic families. The historic Old World balm of Gilead, or Mecca balsam, is a small evergreen tree (Commiphora gilea...