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Pará rubber tree

(Encyclopedia)Pará rubber tree päräˈ [key], large tree (Hevea brasiliensis) of the family Euphorbiaceae (spurge family), native to tropical South America and the source of the greatest amount and finest quality...

Tampico hemp

(Encyclopedia)Tampico hemp, fiber of various tropical American plants, among them the agave (see amaryllis). ...

Manson, Patrick

(Encyclopedia)Manson, Patrick, 1844–1922, English parasitologist. After receiving his medical degree (1866) from the university at Aberdeen, Scotland, Manson left for China where he was to spend 24 years, studyin...

Burle Marx, Roberto

(Encyclopedia)Burle Marx, Roberto, 1909–1994, Brazilian landscape architect. As an art student he visited (1928) Berlin's botanical gardens and became interested in tropical plants. Upon returning to Brazil (1930...

rain tree

(Encyclopedia)rain tree, also called monkeypod, a large leguminous tropical tree (Albizia saman or Samanea saman) of tropical America belonging to the family Leguminosae (pulse family), the leaves of which fold tog...

Maldives

(Encyclopedia)Maldives mălˈdēvz, –dīvz [key], Dhivehi Dhivehi Raajje, officially Republic of Maldives, republic (2015 est. pop. 418,000), 115 sq mi (298 sq km), off the coast of S Asia in the N Indian Ocean. ...

Moma

(Encyclopedia)Moma mōˈmä [key], town, E central Mozambique. It is important mainly as a harbor for the export of tropical produce. ...

mangrove

(Encyclopedia)mangrove, large tropical evergreen tree, genus Rhizophora, that grows on muddy tidal flats and along protected ocean shorelines. Mangroves are most abundant in tropical Asia, Africa, and the islands o...

Cape York Peninsula

(Encyclopedia)Cape York Peninsula, 280 mi (451 km) long, N Queensland, Australia, between the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Coral Sea. It is largely tropical jungle and...

gesneria

(Encyclopedia)gesneria gĕsnĭrˈēə [key], common name for some members of the Gesneriaceae, a family of chiefly tropical and subtropical perennial herbs and shrubs with showy blossoms. The best-known members of ...