Documents for "Plants":

• Aaron's-beard name sometimes applied to several plants usually characterized by some beardlike aspect, as the St.-John's-wort because of its many stamens and the Kenilworth ivy because of its threadlike runners...

• Aaron's-rod popular name for several tall-flowering, infrequently branching plants, such as goldenrod and mullein. The name is an allusion to the rod that Aaron placed before the ark and that miraculously blossomed...

• abacá see Manila hemp.

• abutilon see mallow.

• acacia 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 cultivated for decorative and economic purposes. Acacias are characteristic of savanna vegetation and are especially numerous in the South...

• acanthus common name for a member of the Acanthaceae, a family of chiefly perennial herbs and shrubs, mostly native to the tropics. A few members of the family, many of which have decorative spiny leaves,...

• acerola or barbados cherry, the edible fruit of Malpighia glabra, of the genera Bunchiosa and Malpighia of the family Malpighiaceae. The fleshy red stone fruits, about the size of a cherry, contain very high amounts of vitamin C and are eaten fresh, used to make jams and jellies, and are an important...

• achene dry, simple, one-seeded fruit with the seed attached to the inner wall at only one point. Achenes are indehiscent, i.e., they do not split open at maturity. The so-called seed of a sunflower is an...

• aconite monkshood, or wolfsbane, any of several species of the genus Aconitum of the family Ranunculaceae ( buttercup family), hardy perennial plants of the north temperate zone, growing wild or cultivated for ornamental or medicinal purposes. They contain violent poisons that were recognized from early times and...

• acorn see oak.

• Adam's-needle see yucca.

• adder's-tongue name for a fern genus ( Ophioglossum ). Adder's-tongues are classified in the division Pteridophyta.

• African violet see gesneria.

• agalloch see aloes.

• agave see amaryllis.

• ageratum [Gr.,=unaging], any plant of the genus Ageratum, tropical American annuals of the family Asteraceae ( aster family). The commonly cultivated species is the Mexican A. houstonianum, with thick terminal...

• agilawood see aloes.

• agrimony any plant of the genus Agrimonia, perennials of the family Rosaceae ( rose family) native to north temperate zones, to Brazil, and to Africa. They are found wild in the N and central United States. Agrimony is sometimes cultivated in herb gardens for its small yellow...

• ailanthus any tree of the genus Ailanthus, native to the warm regions of Asia and Australia. Ailanthus wood is sometimes used for cabinetmaking and for the manufacture of charcoal. The leaves are a source of food for silkworms, and the bark...

• alder name for deciduous trees and shrubs of the genus Alnus of the family Betulaceae ( birch family), widely distributed, especially in mountainous and moist areas of the north temperate zone and in the...

• alfalfa or lucern , perennial leguminous plant ( Medicago sativa ) of the family Leguminosae ( pulse family), the most important pasture and hay plant in North America, also grown extensively in Argentina, S Europe, and Asia. Probably native to Persia, it was introduced to the United States by...

• alligator pear see avocado.

• allspice see pimento.

• almond name for a small tree ( Prunus amygdalus ) of the family Rosaceae ( rose family) and for the nutlike, edible seed of its drupe fruit. The "nuts" of sweet-almond varieties are eaten raw or roasted and are pressed to obtain almond oil. Bitter-almond varieties also yield oil, from which the poisonous prussic acid is removed in the extraction...

• aloe [Gr.], any species of the genus Aloe, succulent perennials of the family Lilaceae ( lily family), native chiefly to the warm dry areas of S Africa and also to tropical Africa, but cultivated elsewhere. The juice of aloe leaves contains the purgative aloin. Today the various...

• aloes drug obtained from the aloe ; also a biblical name for an aromatic substance of various uses, mentioned in connection with myrrh and spices and thought to be the fragrant wood of the modern aloeswood (also called eaglewood,...

• alsike see clover.

• althaea or althea: see mallow.

• alyssum any species of the genus Alyssum of the family Cruciferae ( mustard family), annual and perennial herbs native to the Mediterranean area. A few species, notably the perennial golden tuft ( A. saxatile...

• Amanita see mushroom.

• amaranth [Gr.,=unfading], common name for the Amaranthaceae (also commonly known as the pigweed family), a family of herbs, trees, and vines of warm regions, especially in the Americas and Africa. The genus Amaranthus includes several widely distributed species called amaranths that are characterized by a lasting red pigment in the stems and leaves. They have been a poetic symbol of immortality from the time of...

• amaryllis common name for some members of the Amaryllidaceae, a family of mostly perennial plants with narrow, flat leaves and with lilylike flowers borne on separate, leafless stalks. They are widely...

• amole see soap plant.

• ampelopsis [Gr.,=looking like a vine], botanic name for woody ornamental vines of the genus Ampelopsis, but in horticulture also traditionally applied to the Virginia creeper , Boston ivy , and others of related...

• anchovy pear see Brazil nut.

• anemone or windflower, any of the perennial herbs, wild or cultivated, of the genus Anemone of the family Ranunculaceae ( buttercup family). A rich legendary history has gained the anemone many names and attributes. It is said to have sprung from the blood of Adonis; Romans considered it valuable in preventing fever; it has...

• angelica any species of the genus Angelica, plants of the family Umbelliferae ( parsley family), native to the Northern Hemisphere and New Zealand, valued for their potency as a medicament and protection against evil spirits and the plague, which probably accounts for the name;...

• anise annual plant ( Pimpinella anisum ) of the family Umbelliferae ( parsley family), native to the Mediterranean region but long cultivated elsewhere for its aromatic and medicinal qualities. It has flat-topped clusters of small yellow or white flowers that become seedlike...

• antelope brush low, deciduous shrub ( Purshia tridentata ) of the family Rosaceae ( rose family), widely distributed in the W United States where it is a characteristic constituent of the vegetation on arid slopes and desert ranges. One of the most important Western browse plants, it...

• apple any tree (and its fruit) of the genus Malus of the family Rosaceae ( rose family). Apples were formerly considered species of the pear genus Pyrus, with which they share the characteristic pome fruit. The common apple ( M. sylvestris ) is the best known and is commercially the most important temperate fruit. Apparently native to the Caucasus Mts. of W Asia, it has been under cultivation since prehistoric times. According to...

• apricot [Arabic from Lat.,=early ripe], tree, Prunus armeniaca, and its fruit, of the plum genus of the family Rosaceae ( rose family), native to temperate Asia and long cultivated in Armenia. The fruit is used raw, canned, preserved, and dried. California is the chief place of cultivation in the United States, although by...

• Aquilegia see columbine.

• arborvitae [Lat.,=tree of life], aromatic evergreen tree of the genus Thuja of the family Cupressaceae ( cypress family), with scalelike leaves borne on flattened branchlets of a fanlike appearance and with very small cones. Some of the numerous cultivated varieties are dwarf forms. There are several species,...

• arbutus, trailing see trailing arbutus.

• Arethusa see orchid.

• arnica any plant of the genus Arnica, yellow-flowered perennials of the family Asteraceae ( aster family), native to north temperate and arctic regions. In North America, arnicas grow in woody areas of the plains region and the Pacific coast, northward to arctic Alaska. Medicinal preparations...

• arrowhead any plant of the genus Sagittaria, widely distributed marsh or aquatic herbs of the primitive family Alismataceae (water-plantain family). The name derives from the arrowhead-shaped leaves of many species. Native North Americans...

• arrowroot any plant of the genus Maranta, usually large perennial herbs, of the family Marantaceae, found chiefly in warm, swampy forest habitats of the Americas and sometimes cultivated for their ornamental...

• arrowwood name for several woody plants, particularly of the family Caprifoliaceae ( honeysuckle family), formerly used for making arrows.

• artemisia see wormwood.

• artichoke name for two different plants of the family Asteraceae ( aster family), both having edible parts. The French, or globe, artichoke ( Cynara scolymus ) is a thistlelike plant of which the globular flower heads are used in the immature state as a salad or vegetable; only the lower part of the fleshy bracts ( "leaves" ) and the center ( "heart" ) are eaten. The cultivation of this S European plant is now a considerable industry in California. A large part of the yearly crop is canned for export to South America. The edible blanched leaves...

• arum common name for the Araceae, a plant family mainly composed of species of herbaceous terrestrial and epiphytic plants found in moist to wet habitats of the tropics and subtropics; some are native...

• ash in botany, any plant of the genus Fraxinus of the family Oleaceae ( olive family), trees and shrubs mainly of north temperate regions. The ashes are characterized by small clusters of greenish flowers...

• asparagus perennial garden vegetable ( Asparagus officinalis ) of the family Liliaceae ( lily family), native to the E Mediterranean area and now naturalized over much of the world. As in the other species of this Old World genus of succulent plants, the stems are green and function as...

• aspen see willow.

• asphodel name for plants of several genera of the family Lilaceae ( lily family). The true asphodels belong to two small and very similar genera ( Asphodelus and Asphodeline ) of the Mediterranean region and India. The showy flower spike of the former is usually white; of the latter, yellow. Both are stemless, hardy herbs. The asphodel (or king's spear) of the ancients,...

• aster [Gr.,=star], common name for the Asteraceae (Compositae), the aster family, in North America, name for plants of the genus Aster, sometimes called wild asters, and for a related plant more correctly called China aster ( Callistephus chinensis ), all members of the family Asteraceae (aster or composite family). Asterceae is one of the largest families of vascular plants, totaling an estimated 1,150 genera and perhaps 25,000 species. They...

• autumn crocus see meadow saffron.

• avocado tropical American broad-leaved evergreen tree of the genus Persea of the family Lauraceae ( laurel family). The fruit, called avocado, alligator pear, or, in Spanish, aguacate, has a high oil content....

• azalea [Gr.,=dry], any species of the genus Rhododendron, North American and Asian shrubs of the family Ericaceae ( heath family) that are distinguished by the usually deciduous leaves. Azaleas are handsome shrubs with large clusters of pink, red, orange, yellow, purple, or white flowers. The better-known native...

• baby's breath name for a plant of the family Caryophyllaceae ( pink family) and for several other flowers, e.g., white bedstraw of the family Rubiaceae ( madder family) and grape hyacinth of the family Liliaceae...

• bachelor's button popular name for several plants usually characterized by rounded clusters of flowers, such as the cornflower and globe amaranth.

• bald cypress common name for members of the Taxodiaceae, a small family of deciduous or evergreen conifers with needlelike or scalelike leaves and woody cones. Most species of the family are trees of East Asia;...

• balm name for any balsam resin and for several plants, e.g., the bee balm.

• balm of Gilead name for several plants belonging to different taxonomic families. The historic Old World balm of Gilead, or Mecca balsam, is a small evergreen tree ( Commiphora gileadensis, also once called C. opobalsamum ) of the family Burseraceae ( incense-tree family) native to Africa and Asia and the source of the commercial balm of Gilead; it is referred to in the Bible in Jer. 8.22. The Ishmaelites from Gilead were bearing balm when they bought Joseph...

• balsa see bombax.

• balsam fir common name for the evergreen tree Abies balsamea of NE North American boreal forests. It has small needles and cones and is used for lumber. It is also called Canada balsam , as is the resin it produces,...

• balsam, garden common name for the species Impatiens balsamina, a member of the jewelweed family.

• bamboo plant of the family Gramineae ( grass family), chiefly of warm or tropical regions, where it is sometimes an extremely important component of the vegetation. It is most abundant in the monsoon area of E Asia. Bamboos are the the...

• banana name for several species of the genus Musa and for the fruits these produce. The banana plant—one of the largest herbaceous plants—is said to be native to tropical Asia, but is now cultivated throughout the tropics. Used to a minor degree...

• baneberry any plant of the small genus Actaea, north temperate perennials of the family Ranunculaceae ( buttercup family) sometimes cultivated for the handsome (though poisonous) berrylike fruits. Native species, formerly used medicinally by both Native Americans and whites and also called cohosh, are the red...

• banksia [for Sir Joseph Banks ], popularized name of a genus of Australian evergreen trees and shrubs of the same family as the macadamia and sometimes cultivated in America. Banksias are also called honeysuckle trees or...

• banyan species of fig ( Ficus bengalensis ) of the family Moraceae ( mulberry family), native to India, where it is venerated. Its seeds usually germinate in the branches of some tree where they have been dropped by birds. The young plant puts forth aerial rootlets, which,...

• baobab gigantic tree of India and Africa, exceeded in trunk diameter only by the sequoia. The trunks of living baobabs are hollowed out for dwellings; rope and cloth are made from the bark and condiments...

• barbados cherry see acerola.

• barberry common name for the family Berberidaceae, and specifically for the spiny barberries ( Berberis species). The family includes perennial herbs and shrubs found in the Northern Hemisphere. The fruit is often a colorful, winter-persistent berry. The spiny barberries are primarily Asian in origin. B. vulgaris, the common barberry, is naturalized in the United States and is often cultivated for hedges, but it is a host for one stage of wheat rust , a fungal pathogen that destroys the wheat plant. The Japanese barberry ( B. thunbergii ) is resistant. Other members of the family are the blue cohosh or papooseroot ( Caulophyllum thalictroides ), the May apple (genus Podophyllum ), and the Oregon grape ( Mahonia aquifolium ), an evergreen shrub that is the floral emblem of Oregon. The edible berries of these three are sometimes used for condiments and jellies. A compound derived from barberry, berberine, is used as an...

• barley annual cereal plant ( Hordeum vulgare and sometimes other species) of the family Gramineae ( grass family), cultivated by humans probably as early as any cereal. It was known to the ancient Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and Egyptians and was the chief bread material in Europe as late as the 16th...

• basil any plant of the genus Ocimum, tender herbs or small shrubs of the family Labiatae ( mint family), mostly of Old World warm regions and cultivated for the aromatic leaves. The basil of Keats's "Isabella" (and of Boccaccio's story) is the common or sweet basil ( O. basilicum ), once considered medicinal. This is the species usually used for seasoning; it is grown commercially chiefly in the Mediterranean area. There are also the holy basil, venerated in India; the bush...

• basswood see linden.

• bay see laurel ; magnolia.

• bay leaf see laurel.

• bayberry common name for the Myricaceae, a family of trees and shrubs with aromatic foliage, found chiefly in temperate and subtropical regions. The waxy gray "berries" of the North American wild or cultivated...

• beach grass or marram grass , any species of the genus Ammophila, perennial grasses used to control the shifting of sand dunes, thereby protecting sandy coastal areas. The European beach grass ( A. arenaria ) has been used to hold dunes in Europe and was early planted at Cape Cod to bind the sands; later it was used at Golden Gate Park and elsewhere in the United States. The American beach grass ( A. breviligulata ) is native to dunes of the Great Lakes and much of the eastern seacoast. Beach grasses have creeping rootstocks that rapidly form an extensive root system. Beach grasses are classified in the...

• bean name applied to the seeds of leguminous trees and shrubs and to various leguminous plants of the family Leguminosae ( pulse family) with edible seeds or seed pods (legumes). The genera and species encompassed by the term bean are many and variable. The broad beans ( Vicia faba, of the vetch genus), the soybean types ( Glycine max ), and a few lesser species were the only beans known to the Old World before the discovery of America, by which time the indigenous peoples had already developed most of the bean types still used...

• bearberry any plant of the northern and alpine genus Arctostaphylos of the family Ericaceae ( heath family), especially A. uvaursi, a trailing evergreen sometimes cultivated as a ground cover. The small, leathery leaves yield a medicinal astringent and a dye. They were used for tobacco by the Native Americans, who also utilized...

• beardtongue see figwort.

• bear's-breech see acanthus.

• bedstraw see madder.

• bee balm name for several herbs, especially Melissa officinalis and Monarda didyma, both typical perennials of the family Labiatae ( mint family) named for their fragrance, attractive to bees and hummingbirds. Melissa [Gr.,=bee] officinalis, called bee balm or lemon balm, was introduced to North America from the Mediterranean area, where it has long been cultivated for its lemonlike odor and flavor and, formerly, as a curative for many...

• beech common name for the Fagaceae, a family of trees and shrubs mainly of temperate and subtropical regions in the Northern Hemisphere. The principal genera— Castanea ( chestnut and chinquapin ), Fagus (beech), and Quercus ( oak , including the cork oak)—form a dominant part of temperate woodland vegetation and are highly valued throughout the world for hardwood timber. Some of their species are also cultivated for their...

• beet biennial or annual root vegetable of the family Chenopodiaceae ( goosefoot family). The beet ( Beta vulgaris ) has been cultivated since pre-Christian times. Among its numerous varieties are the red, or garden, beet, the sugar beet, Swiss chard, and several types of mangel-wurzel and other stock feeds...

• beggar-tick see bur marigold.

• beggarweed or tick trefoil, leguminous plant ( Desmodium purpureum ) native to the West Indies and sown in the S United States for green manure and for forage; it has high nutritive value and is palatable to stock. The pods are covered with tiny hooked hairs and...

• begonia any plant of the large genus Begonia and common name for the family Begoniaceae, mostly succulent perennial herbs of the American tropics cultivated elsewhere as bedding or pot plants and easily propagated by stem and leaf cuttings as...

• belladonna lily see amaryllis.

• bellflower or bluebell, name commonly used as a comprehensive term for members of the Campanulaceae, a family of chiefly herbaceous annuals or perennials of wide distribution, characteristically found on dry slopes in...

• bent grass any species of the genus Agrostis of the family Gramineae ( grass family), chiefly slender, delicate plants native to cool climates. Many are used for forage or lawns. Important species naturalized from Europe include the creeping bent ( A. palustris ), a lawn and putting-green grass; colonial bent ( A. tenuis ), frequently used in lawn mixtures; and especially, redtop ( A. alba ), called also fiorin and herd's-grass. Redtop, a perennial with reddish panicles, is much used (often mixed with clover) for pasture and hay in NE America; it is also effective in erosion control...

• bergamot [from Bergamo, Italy], citrus tree ( Citrus bergamia ) grown chiefly in Italy, belonging to the family Rutaceae ( rue family). From the rind of the bergamot orange is extracted an essential oil used...

• Bermuda grass perennial pasture, lawn, and hay grass ( Cynodon dactylon ) of the family Gramineae ( grass family), native to Africa and Asia and now common in warm regions of both hemispheres. It is the standard pasture grass in the S United States. It is heat- and drought-resistant and grows in almost...

• big tree see sequoia.

• bignonia common name for the family Bignoniaceae, a family of chiefly woody vines of the American tropics and also a few shrubs and trees. The trumpet creeper (of the genus Bignonia ) and the trumpet flower, or trumpet vine (of the genus Campsis ), both found wild in the SE United States, are sometimes cultivated for their orange-red trumpet-shaped flowers. The calabash tree of the tropics bears large fruits from which carrying gourds...

• bindweed see morning glory.

• birch common name for some members of the Betulaceae, a family of deciduous trees or shrubs bearing male and female flowers on separate plants, widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. They are...

• 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 cultivated as an ornamental in warmer regions and as a greenhouse plant, and is sold as a florists'...

• birthwort common name for the Aristolochiaceae, a family of shrubs and woody climbing vines found in the tropics and other warm regions. The largest genus, Aristolochia, includes several plants cultivated in the United States as medicinals (e.g., the Virginia snakeroot and the birthwort) or as ornamentals for their curious flowers (e.g., the pelican flower and the...

• bitterroot see purslane.

• bittersweet name for two unrelated plants, belonging to different families, both fall-fruiting woody vines sometimes cultivated for their decorative scarlet berries. One, called also woody nightshade ( Solanum...

• black gum ornamental deciduous tree ( Nyssa sylvatica family Nyssaceae) native to E North America. The leaves turn bright scarlet in the fall. The very tough wood was used for wheel hubs and other purposes. It is sometimes called sour gum, tupelo, and...

• black haw see honeysuckle.

• black locust see locust.

• blackberry name for several species of thorny plants of the genus Rubus of the family Rosaceae ( rose family). See bramble.

• black-eyed bean or black-eyed pea: see cowpea.

• black-eyed Susan or yellow daisy, North American daisylike wildflower ( Rudbeckia hirta ) of the family Asteraceae ( aster family) with yellow rays and a dark brown center. It is a weedy biennial or annual and grows in dry places. The black-eyed Susan and the other rudbeckias are also called yellow coneflowers. The...

• blackthorn or sloe, low, spreading, thorny bush or small tree ( Prunus spinosa ) of the plum genus of the family Rosaceae ( rose family), having black bark, white flowers, and deep blue fruits, usually rather acrid and not much larger than peas. Native to the Mediterranean area, the blackthorn is cultivated for hedges, its...

• blackwood name for several trees, especially an acacia.

• bladderwort any plant of the genus Utricularia, insectivorous or carnivorous aquatic plants, many native to North America. Small animals are caught and digested in bladderlike organs of the finely divided submerged leaves. Bladderworts and...

• blanketflower see gaillardia.

• blazing star or button snakeroot, any plant of the genus Liatris, showy North American perennials of the family Asteraceae ( aster family). The blossoms, rosy purple or white, are in somewhat feathery heads along a usually wandlike stalk. Medicinal use has been made of a few species by both Native Americans and settlers. Some...

• bleeding heart see fumitory.

• bloodroot see poppy.

• bluebell common name for several plants belonging to completely different classes, particularly the bellflower and the Virginia cowslip, or Virginia bluebell, of the family Boraginaceae ( borage family) and...

• blueberry plant of the large genus Vaccinium, widely distributed shrubs (occasionally small trees) of the family Ericaceae ( heath family), usually found on acid soil. They are often confused with the related huckleberry. Blueberries were a favorite food of the Native Americans, who ate them fresh or dried them for winter use. The berries have been an article of commerce since early days. The high-bush blueberry ( V. corymbosum ) and the low-bush blueberry ( V. augustifolium or pennsylvanicum ), native to North America from Minnesota eastward, are the species most often cultivated, and a number of varieties are now grown in the East and West. Various species are sometimes called bilberry...

• bluebonnet see lupine.

• bluebottle see cornflower.

• blue-eyed grass see iris.

• bluegrass any species of the large and widely distributed genus Poa, chiefly range and pasture grasses of economic importance in temperate and cool regions. In general, bluegrasses are perennial with fine-leaved foliage that is bluish green in some species. One of...

• bluet see madder.

• bo tree or pipal , fig tree ( Ficus religiosa ) of India held sacred by the Buddhists, who believe that Gautama received enlightenment under a bo tree at Bodh Gaya. A slip of this tree was planted at Anuradhapura to become one of the oldest...

• bombax common name for the Bombacaceae, a family of deciduous trees, often tall and with unusually thick trunks, found chiefly in the American tropics. The family includes many commercially important...

• boneset or thoroughwort , perennial North American herb ( Eupatorium perfoliatum ) of the family Asteraceae ( aster family), having terminal clusters of small, chiefly white blossoms. Native Americans and settlers alike valued the plant for the bitter tea made from its leaves and flowers, for which it was often...

• borage common name for the Boraginaceae, a family of widely distributed herbs and some tropical shrubs or trees characterized by rough or hairy stems, four-part fruits, and usually fragrant blossoms. Its...

• borecole see kale.

• Boston ivy or Japanese ivy, tall-climbing woody vine ( Parthenocissus tricuspidata ) from East Asia, one of the most popular of city wall coverings. Of the same genus as the Virginia creeper and sometimes called...

• bougainvillaea see bougainvillea.

• bougainvillea or bougainvillaea [for L. A. de Bougainville ], any plant of the genus Bougainvillea of the family Nyctaginaceae ( four-o'clock family); chiefly tropical American woody vines with showy petallike...

• bouncing Bet see pink.

• bowwood see mulberry.

• box common name for the Buxaceae, a family of trees and shrubs with leathery evergreen leaves, native to the tropics and subtropics of the Old World and to Central America. The boxes (genus Buxus ) have been widely introduced to other regions for use as hedge plants and for their wood. Boxwood is close-grained, strong and hard, and polishes well; it is valued for wood engraving, carving, and...

• box elder see maple.

• boysenberry see bramble.

• bracken or brake, common name for a tall fern ( Pteridium aquilinum ) with large triangular fronds, widespread throughout the world, often as a weed. It is considered poisonous to livestock when eaten in quantity, but the rootstocks and the young shoots, cooked, are...

• brake in botany: see bracken.

• bramble name for plants of the genus Rubus [Lat.,=red, for the color of the juice]. This complex genus of the family Rosaceae ( rose family), with representatives in many parts of the world, includes the blackberries, raspberries, loganberries, boysenberries, and dewberries. The plants are typically shrubs with prickly stems...

• Brazil nut common name for the Lecythidaceae, a family of tropical trees. It includes the anchovy pear ( Grias cauliflora ), a West Indian species with edible fruit used for pickles, and several lumber trees of South America, e.g., the cannon-ball tree ( Couroupita guianensis ), some species of Barringtonia, and the Brazil nut ( Bertholletia excelsa ). The latter is found chiefly in Brazil along the Amazon and Orinoco rivers, but extensive groves have also been planted in N Bolivia. The edible Brazil nuts grow clumped together in large, round,...

• brazilwood common name for several trees of the family Leguminosae ( pulse family) whose wood yields a red dye. The dye has largely been replaced by synthetic dyes for fabrics, but it is still used in high-quality red inks. The bright red wood, which takes a high polish,...

• breadfruit see mulberry.

• breadroot or Indian breadroot, perennial plant ( Psoralea esculenta ) of the family Leguminosae ( pulse family), indigenous to the American prairies and valued by Native Americans for the starchy tuberous root that was much used for food, eaten raw or roasted or dried for winter use. The breadroot...

• briar see brier.

• bridal wreath see spiraea.

• brier or briar, name sometimes given any thorny plant, more specifically the sweetbrier , and the greenbrier. French brier, or brierroot, is a name for the root of the European white heath so widely...

• bristlecone pine common name for the pine species Pinus longaeva, found in the White Mountains of California. Specimens are known that are nearly 5,000 years old.

• broccoli [Ital.,=sprouts], variety of cabbage grown for the edible immature flower panicles. It is the same variety ( Brassica oleracea botrytis ) as the cauliflower and is similarly cultivated. Although known...

• brodiea or brodiaea , any plant of the genus Brodiaea, herbs of the family Liliaceae ( lily family), with narrow leaves and blue or purple star-shaped flowers. The many North American species include the...

• brome grass common name for any plant of the genus Bromus, chiefly large, coarse grasses of a weedy nature; some, however, are useful as forage, and others are cultivated for decoration. Some of the better-known bromes are the smooth brome ( B. inermis, sometimes called awnless, or Hungarian, brome), often cultivated for pasture or for holding banks; rescue grass ( B. catharticus or B. unioloides ), a forage in the Southern states; and chess, or cheat ( B. secalinus ), a pest of grainfields, formerly believed by some to be degenerate wheat. Many species of brome grasses develop sharp-barbed fruits at maturity that are injurious to stock (whence the name ripgut...

• bromeliad common name for plants of the family Bromeliaceae ( pineapple family).

• broom common name for plants of two closely related and similar Old World genera, Cytisus and Genista, of the family Leguminosae ( pulse family). They are mostly twiggy leguminous shrubs with abundant...

• broom rape common name for plants of the Orobanchaceae, the broom rape family. They are parasitic on the roots of other plants; they have small leaves and little or no green color. In some species the leaves...

• broomcorn see sorghum.

• Brussels sprouts variety ( gemmifera ) of cabbage producing small edible heads (sprouts) along the stem. It is cultivated like cabbage and was first developed in Belgium and France in the 18th cent. Brussels sprouts...

• bryony see gourd.

• Bryophyta division of green land plants that includes the mosses (class Bryopsida), the liverworts (Marchantiopsida), and the hornworts (Anthocerotopsida). The liverworts and hornworts are generally inconspicuous plants; common liverworts include species of the genera Porella and Marchantia. Anthoceros is the most familiar temperate-zone hornwort genus. Bryophytes differ from ferns, cone-bearing plants, and flowering plants in that they lack a vascular system for the transportation of water...

• buckeye see horse chestnut.

• buckthorn common name for some members of the Rhamnaceae, a family of woody shrubs, small trees, and climbing vines widely distributed throughout the world. The buckthorns (several species of the genus Rhamnus ) and the jujube ( Ziziphus jujuba ) are cultivated for their ornamental foliage. The jujube was also used locally and exported for use in confectionery and as a flavoring, now largely replaced by artificial flavorings. The lotus of...

• buckwheat common name for certain members of the Polygonaceae, a family of herbs and shrubs found chiefly in north temperate areas and having a characteristic pungent juice containing oxalic acid. Species...

• buddleia or buddleja: see logania.

• buffalo berry see oleaster.

• buffalo bur see nightshade.

• buffalo clover see lupine.

• buffalo grass low perennial grass ( Buchloe dactyloides ) of the plains regions, one of the most important range grasses. Its dense matted growth is valuable also in erosion control. Buffalo grass usually grows together with the grama, or mesquite,...

• bugbane any plant of the genus Cimicifuga, tall north-temperate perennials of the family Ranunculaceae ( buttercup family). The white spirelike bloom has a rank odor that attracts flies, which pollinate the...

• bull nettle see nightshade.

• bulrush see sedge.

• bunchberry see dogwood.

• bunya-bunya see monkey-puzzle tree.

• bur grass see sandbur.

• bur marigold or sticktight, common name for any species of Bidens, a genus of chiefly weedy North American plants of the family Asteraceae ( aster family) with two-pronged burlike fruits (achenes) that have gained various species such additional names as beggar-ticks, Spanish needles, tickseed, and bootjacks. A few showy yellow-flowered...

• burdock common name of any plant of the genus Arctium of the family Asteraceae ( aster family), coarse biennials indigenous to temperate Eurasia and mostly weedy in North America. The flowers, usually purple,...

• burnet hardy perennial herb of the family Rosaceae ( rose ) found in temperate regions, usually with white or greenish flowers. The European species are sometimes cultivated for the leaves, which are used in salads, for flavoring, and formerly as a...

• burning bush name for a North American plant of the family Celastraceae ( staff tree family). The scriptural burning bush not consumed by fire (Ex. 3.2) is sometimes associated with a bramble or thorn and was adopted by the Presbyterian Church as an emblem of its early persecution...

• butter-and-eggs common name for a plant of the family Scrophulariaceae ( figwort family) and sometimes for other yellow-and-orange flowers. Butter-and-eggs plants are classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class...

• buttercup or crowfoot, common name for the Ranunculaceae, a family of chiefly annual or perennial herbs of cool regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Thought to be one of the most primitive families of dicotyledenous plants , the Ranunculaceae typically have a simple flower structure in which each flower part may be separate rather than fused into a single organ (see flower ). Many buttercups are aquatic plants, hence the Latin name for the genus Ranunculus [little frog]. The family includes numerous familiar wildflowers and many cultivated ornamentals. Well-known representatives are the aconite , anemone , baneberry , bugbane , clematis (one of the few vine genera), columbine , globeflower , hellebore , hepatica , larkspur , love-in-a-mist , marsh marigold (the American cowslip), meadow rue , and peony. The largest genus, Ranunculus, comprises the buttercups and crowfoots, names often used interchangeably. Found throughout arctic, north temperate, and alpine regions, with species in the Andes and in subantarctic areas, this...

• butterfly flower   fringeflower, or poor-man's-orchid, any of the showy plants of the genus Schizanthus of the family Solanaceae ( nightshade family), native to Chile but grown elsewhere as garden or greenhouse annuals. The flowers resemble butterflies and are found in a variety of colors, usually mottled. Butterfly flowers are...

• butterfly weed see milkweed.

• butternut see walnut.

• butterwort common name for several species of the plant genus Pinguicula of the north temperate zone and the mountains of tropical America. It is a member of the family Lentibulariaceae ( bladderwort family)....