Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

sweet potato

(Encyclopedia)sweet potato, trailing perennial plant (Ipomoea batatas) of the family Convolvulaceae (morning glory family), native to the New World tropics. Cultivated from ancient times by the Aztecs for its edibl...

bergamot

(Encyclopedia)bergamot bûrˈgəmŏtˌ [key] [from Bergamo, Italy], citrus tree (Citrus bergamia) grown chiefly in Italy, belonging to the family Rutaceae (rue family). From the rind of the bergamot orange is extra...

Borgia

(Encyclopedia)Borgia bôrˈhä [key], Spanish-Italian noble family, originally from Aragón. When Alfonso de Borja, cardinal-archbishop of Valencia, was pope as Calixtus III (1455–58), several relatives followed ...

hyena

(Encyclopedia)hyena hī-ēˈnə [key], carnivorous, chiefly nocturnal mammal of the Old World family Hyaenidae. Although doglike in appearance, hyenas are more closely related to civets (family Viverridae) and cats...

sunfish

(Encyclopedia)sunfish, common name for members of the family Centrachidae, comprising numerous species of spiny-finned, freshwater fishes with deep, laterally flattened bodies found in temperate North America. All ...

anise

(Encyclopedia)anise ănˈĭs [key], annual plant (Pimpinella anisum) of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), native to the Mediterranean region but long cultivated elsewhere for its aromatic and medicinal qual...

dormouse

(Encyclopedia)dormouse, name for Old World nocturnal rodents of the family Gliridae. There are many dormouse species, classified in several genera. Many resemble small squirrels. Dormice sleep deeply during the day...

parrotfish

(Encyclopedia)parrotfish, common name for a member of a large group of colorful reef fishes of warm seas, resembling the wrasses but of a larger size. Long considered a separate family, Scaridae, they are now group...

nettle

(Encyclopedia)nettle, common name for the Urticaceae, a family of fibrous herbs, small shrubs, and trees found chiefly in the tropics and subtropics. Several genera of nettles are covered with small stinging hairs ...

loganberry

(Encyclopedia)loganberry, blackberrylike plant of the genus Rubus of the family Rosaceae (rose family). See bramble. ...