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lobelia

(Encyclopedia)lobelia lōbēlˈyə [key], any plant of the genus Lobelia, annual and perennial herbs of tropical and temperate woodlands and moist places. Most lobelias have blue or purple flowers on a long (1–4 ...

Omura, Satoshi

(Encyclopedia)Omura, Satoshi, 1935–, Japanese biochemist, grad .Univ. of Tokyo (Ph.D. 1968), Tokyo Univ. of Science (Ph.D. 1970). He has been a researcher and leader at the Kitasato Institute since 1965. Omura sh...

Palenque

(Encyclopedia)Palenque pälāngˈkĕ [key], ancient city of the Maya in Chiapas, S Mexico, in the Usumacinta Valley. Its architectural elegance, adapted to tropical and topographical conditions, was a high point in...

mantis shrimp

(Encyclopedia)mantis shrimp, marine crustacean of the order Stomatopoda, characterized by a pair of enlarged appendages, called maxillipeds, that form powerful claws for seizing prey. The last two segments of each ...

Lugard, Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron

(Encyclopedia)Lugard, Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron lo͞ogärdˈ [key], 1858–1945, British colonial administrator. After an early military career, he entered (1889) the service of the British East Afri...

borage

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Forget-me-not, Myosotis virginica, a member of the borage family borage bŏrˈəj, bŭrˈ– [key], common name for the Boraginaceae, a family of widely distributed herbs and some tropical shr...

caoutchouc

(Encyclopedia)caoutchouc kouˈcho͝ok [key], natural rubber obtained as a latex from various tropical plants, e.g., the Pará rubber tree. It is much more elastic than balata or gutta-percha. It is the most familia...

sweet potato

(Encyclopedia)sweet potato, trailing perennial plant (Ipomoea batatas) of the family Convolvulaceae (morning glory family), native to the New World tropics. Cultivated from ancient times by the Aztecs for its edibl...

tagua

(Encyclopedia)tagua täˈgwä [key], fruit of the ivory, or ivory-nut, palms (Phytelephas species), which flourish in tropical America from Paraguay to Panama. The female palms bear large woody, burrlike fruits, ea...

tanager

(Encyclopedia)tanager tănˈəjər [key], any of the small, migratory perching birds of the family Thraupidae, chiefly of the tropical New World. Only five species migrate to North America; of these the scarlet tan...