Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

284 results found

club moss

(Encyclopedia)club moss, name generally used for the living species of the class Lycopodiopsida, a primitive subdivision of vascular plants. The Lycopodiopsida were a dominant plant group in the Carboniferous perio...

moss, in botany

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Life cycle of a moss: A germinating spore forms a transitory branching structure on the soil surface, which develops into the conspicuous gametophyte, the familiar moss plant. Eggs and sperm ar...

devil's-club

(Encyclopedia)devil's-club or devil's-walking-stick: see ginseng. ...

club rush

(Encyclopedia)club rush: see cattail; sedge. ...

Hercules'-club

(Encyclopedia)Hercules'-club, common name for several small, thorny trees, chiefly the devil's-walking-stick of the family Aralaceae (ginseng family) and the prickly ash of the family Rutaceae (orange family). The ...

Scriblerus Club

(Encyclopedia)Scriblerus Club, English literary group formed about 1713 to satirize “all the false tastes in learning.” Among its chief members were Arbuthnot, Gay, Thomas Parnell, Pope, and Swift. Meetings of ...

Sierra Club

(Encyclopedia)Sierra Club, national organization in the United States dedicated to the preservation and expansion of the world's parks, wildlife, and wilderness areas. Founded (1892) in California by a group led by...

Carlton Club

(Encyclopedia)Carlton Club, British political and social club (founded 1832). Located in London, it was long the center of the Conservative party organization. Since World War II the club has been primarily social....

ground pine

(Encyclopedia)ground pine, common name for several creeping plants, particularly species of club moss. ...

resurrection plant

(Encyclopedia)resurrection plant, name for several plants, usually of arid regions, that may apparently be brought back to life after they are dead. In reality they have hygroscopic qualities which cause them to cu...

Browse by Subject