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palm

(Encyclopedia)palm, common name for members of the Palmae, a large family of chiefly tropical trees, shrubs, and vines. Most species are treelike, characterized by a crown of compound leaves, called fronds, termina...

spurge

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Snow-on-the-mountain, Euphorbia marginata spurge spûrj [key], common name for members of the Euphorbiaceae, a family of herbs, shrubs, and trees of greatly varied structure and almost cosmopo...

aldehyde

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Aldehydes aldehyde ălˈdəhīd [key] [alcohol + New Lat. dehydrogenatus=dehydrogenated], any of a class of organic compounds that contain the carbonyl group, >C=-->O, and in which t...

cosmetics

(Encyclopedia)cosmetics, preparations externally applied to change or enhance the beauty of skin, hair, nails, lips, and eyes. The use of body paint for ornamental and religious purposes has been common among primi...

citrus fruits

(Encyclopedia)citrus fruits, widely used edible fruits of plants belonging to Citrus and related genera of the family Rutaceae (orange family). Included are the tangerine, citrange, tangelo, orange, pomelo, grapefr...

vanadium

(Encyclopedia)vanadium vənāˈdēəm [key], metallic chemical element; symbol V; at. no. 23; at. wt. 50.9415; m.p. about 1,890℃; b.p. 3,380℃; sp. gr. about 6 at 20℃; valence +2, +3, +4, or +5. Vanadium is a ...

Kinshasa

(Encyclopedia)Kinshasa kēnˈshäsə [key], city (1984 pop. 2,664,309), capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, W Congo, a port on Pool Malebo of the Congo River. It is the Congo's largest city and its adm...

caravan

(Encyclopedia)caravan, group of travelers or merchants banded together and organized for mutual assistance and defense while traveling through unsettled or hostile country. Caravan trade is associated with the hist...

mint, in botany

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Spearmint Mentha spicata mint, in botany, common name for members of the Labiatae, a large family of chiefly annual or perennial herbs. Several species are shrubby or climbing forms or, rarely...

acacia

(Encyclopedia)acacia əkāˈshə [key], any plant of the large leguminous genus Acacia, often thorny shrubs and trees of the family Leguminosae (pulse family). Chiefly of the tropics and subtropics, they are cultiv...