Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

São Luís

(Encyclopedia)São Luís souN lo͞oēshˈ [key], city (1996 pop. 781,068), capital of Maranhão state, NE Brazil. It is a port city located on São Luís Island in São Marcos Bay of the Atlantic Ocean. São Luís ...

sapodilla

(Encyclopedia)sapodilla, the edible fruit of Manilkara zapota (formerly Achras zapota), of the family Sapotaceae. The fleshy, brown fruit is the size of a small tomato, and has the flavor and texture of cinnamon, a...

toucan

(Encyclopedia)toucan to͞okănˈ, to͞oˈkän [key], perching bird of the New World tropics, related to the woodpeckers. Toucans vary in size from the jay-sized toucanets to the 24-in. (62-cm) tocos of the Amazon b...

baneberry

(Encyclopedia)baneberry, any plant of the small genus Actaea, north temperate perennials of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup family) sometimes cultivated for the handsome (though poisonous) berrylike fruits. Nat...

shadbush

(Encyclopedia)shadbush, Juneberry, or serviceberry, any species of the genus Amelanchier of the family Rosaceae (rose family), chiefly North American shrubs or trees conspicuous in the early spring for their white...

cover crop

(Encyclopedia)cover crop, green temporary crop grown to prevent or reduce erosion and to improve the soil by building up its organic content. Green-manure crops, which are specifically grown for their organic conte...

Chocano, José Santos

(Encyclopedia)Chocano, José Santos hōsāˈ sänˈtōs chōkäˈnō [key], 1875–1934, Peruvian poet and one of the leaders of modernismo. During a life of Latin-American wandering, Chocano was closely linked bot...

Cochabamba

(Encyclopedia)Cochabamba kōchäbämˈbä [key], city, alt. c.8,400 ft (2,560 m), capital of Cochabamba dept., W ...

gibberellins

(Encyclopedia)gibberellins jĭbˌərĕlˈĭnz [key], a group of growth-regulating substances of plants, having complex chemical structure, of which the best known, gibberellic acid, is noted for its promotion of st...

Del Rio

(Encyclopedia)Del Rio rēˈō [key], city (2020 pop. 34,673), seat of Val Verde co., W Tex., on the Rio Gra...

Browse by Subject