Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

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...

oyster plant

(Encyclopedia)oyster plant, name for several plants, among them the salsify. ...

air plant

(Encyclopedia)air plant: see epiphyte.

wax plant

(Encyclopedia)wax plant: see milkweed.

perennial

(Encyclopedia)perennial, any plant that under natural conditions lives for several to many growing seasons, as contrasted to an annual or a biennial. Botanically, the term perennial applies to both woody and herbac...

meadow beauty

(Encyclopedia)meadow beauty, any plant of the genus Rhexia, herbaceous perennials of wet places E of the Rockies, particularly damp pine barrens and sands along the southeast coast. A widespread species, R. virgini...

herb

(Encyclopedia)herb ûrb, hûrb [key], name for any plant that is used medicinally or as a spice and for the useful product of such a plant. Herbs as condiments and seasonings are still important in culinary art; th...

peony

(Encyclopedia)peony pēˈənē [key], any plant of the genus Paeonia of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup family, although placed in the order Dilleniales as a separate family, the Paeoniaceae, by many modern bot...

Browse by Subject