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nutmeg

(Encyclopedia)nutmeg, name applied to members of the family Myristicaceae. The true nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) is an evergreen tree native to the Moluccas but now cultivated elsewhere in the tropics and to a limit...

lac

(Encyclopedia)lac, resinous exudation from the bodies of females of a species of scale insect (Tachardia lacca), from which shellac is prepared. India is the chief source of shellac, although some is obtained from ...

leatherback

(Encyclopedia)leatherback, marine turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters around the world. The largest of all turtles, it may reach a length of 71⁄2 ft (230 cm) and wei...

Magdalena

(Encyclopedia)Magdalena mägᵺälāˈnä [key], river, c.1,000 mi (1,600 km) long, rising in the Cordillera Central, SW Colombia and flowing N to the Caribbean Sea near Barranquilla. It flows in a fault-block vall...

sapote

(Encyclopedia)sapote səpōˈtā [key], name for several Central American trees and their fruits. Sapotes, sweet and pulpy, are commonly seen in tropical markets and are usually eaten fresh, although some are also ...

satinwood

(Encyclopedia)satinwood, name for a hard and durable wood with a satinlike sheen, much used in cabinetmaking, especially in marquetry. It comes from two tropical trees of the family Rutaceae (rue family). East Indi...

teak

(Encyclopedia)teak, tall deciduous tree (Tectona grandis) of the family Verbenaceae (verbena family), native to India and Malaysia but now widely cultivated in other tropical areas. Unfortunately, the wood of plant...

cichlid

(Encyclopedia)cichlid sĭkˈlĭd [key], common name for members of the family Cichlidae, more that 1,600 species of spiny-finned freshwater fishes of moderate or small size, native to Africa, S Asia, Mexico, and Ce...

Puig, Manuel

(Encyclopedia)Puig, Manuel mänwĕlˈ pwēg [key], 1932–90, Argentine novelist. He is considered one of Latin America's most creative writers, and his writing reflects the myths and realities of contemporary Arge...

ipecac

(Encyclopedia)ipecac ĭpˈĭkăk [key], drug obtained from the dried roots of a creeping shrub, Cephaelis (or Psychotria) ipecacuanha, native to Brazil but cultivated in other tropical climates. There are three var...