Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

ninebark

(Encyclopedia)ninebark, any plant of the genus Physocarpus of the family Rosaceae (rose family). Ninebarks are North American (one is Asian) deciduous, hardy, spring-blooming shrubs, with thin bark which peels off ...

lovage

(Encyclopedia)lovage, tall perennial herb (Levisticum officinale) of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), native to the mountains of S Europe and cultivated elsewhere. Its aromatic fruits are used in soups and...

salpiglossis

(Encyclopedia)salpiglossis sălˌpəglŏsˈəs [key], any plant of the genus Salpiglossis of the family Solanaceae (nightshade family), herbs native to Chile and widely cultivated elsewhere as garden annuals for th...

coreopsis

(Encyclopedia)coreopsis kōrēŏpˈsĭs [key], or tickseed, names for species of Coreopsis, a chiefly North American genus of the family Asteraceae (aster family). They are easily cultivated annuals or perennials w...

Christ's-thorn

(Encyclopedia)Christ's-thorn, name for several Old World plants popularly said to have composed the crown of thorns. It is applied most often to two members of the family Rhamnaceae (buckthorn family): (1) the Jeru...

dill

(Encyclopedia)dill, Old World annual or biennial plant (Anethum graveolens) of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), cultivated since at least since 400 b.c. The pungent, aromatic leaves and seeds are used for ...

ground ivy

(Encyclopedia)ground ivy, trailing perennial herb of the genus Glechoma of the family Labiatae (mint family), closely related to catnip and naturalized from Europe. It forms a dense ground cover and spreads rapidly...

winterberry

(Encyclopedia)winterberry, name for two species of shrubs or small trees of the genus Ilex of the family Aquifoliaceae (holly family), native to the eastern half of North America. Both are deciduous but have winter...

Bermuda grass

(Encyclopedia)Bermuda grass, perennial pasture, lawn, and hay grass (Cynodon dactylon) of the family Poaceae (grass family), native to Africa and Asia and now common in warm regions of both hemispheres. It is the s...

bird-of-paradise flower

(Encyclopedia)bird-of-paradise flower, large tropical herb (Strelitzia reginae) of the family Musaceae (banana family), native to S Africa. Its large blue and orange blossom resembles an exotic bird; it is cultivat...