Ma. Chynna Dominik C.
Yuvienco
1-AHB
Lobelia
Source:
Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition. Q1 2014, p1-1. 1p.
Document Type:
Reference Entry
Abstract:
Lobelia (lōbēl′yə), 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 ft/30–122 cm), leafy stem. Native North American
species, often cultivated as ornamentals, include the only red
lobelia, the cardinal flower (L. cardinalis), which is
becoming rare; the blue lobelia (L. syphilitica), used by
Native Americans for the treatment of syphilis; and Indian
tobacco (L. inflata), named for its odor. The dried leaves and
stems of Indian tobacco and sometimes of other species
furnish medicinal lobelia, the source of lobeline, which is used as a respiratory stimulant but is
poisonous in overdose as are the roots. L. erinus, introduced from S Africa, is a common border
plant. Most botanists include Lobelia and related genera in the family Campanulaceae (bluebell
family); others consider them a separate family, the Lobeliaceae. Lobelia is classified in the
division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Campanulales, family Campanulaceae.
[ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
Ma. Chynna Dominik C. Yuvienco
1-AHB
Laurel, in botany.
Source:
Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition. Q1 2014, p1-1. 1p.
Document Type:
Reference Entry
Abstract:
Laurel, common name for the Lauraceae, a
family of forest trees and shrubs found mainly in
tropical SE Asia but also abundant in tropical
America. Most have aromatic bark and foliage and
are evergreen; deciduous species are usually those
that extend into temperate zones. The plants are
important for aromatic oils and spices, edible fruits,
and timber (e.g., from species of the largest genus,
Ocotea). The true laurel—that of history and
classical literature—is Laurus nobilis, called also bay and sweet bay. It is native to the
Mediterranean, where to the ancients it symbolized victory and merit and was sacred to Apollo.
The fragrant leaves are sold commercially as bay leaf, a seasoning. Many plants of the unrelated
heath family are also called laurels in the United States because of their similarly dark and glossy
but poisonous leaves; the cherry laurel is a species of the rose family. A native American laurel
is the evergreen California laurel (Umbellularia californica), also called pepperwood, bay-tree,
and Oregon myrtle. It grows in California and Oregon and provides wood, medicinal leaves, and
fruits that were eaten by Native Americans. Lindera benzoin, commonly called spicebush,
benzoin, or wild allspice, is another fragrant species found in America; its powdered berries have
been used as a substitute for allspice. All other Lindera species are Asian. The red bay (Persea
borbonia) of the southeast coastal plains has very strong, bright reddish-brown heartwood used in
cabinetmaking and interior finishing. P. americana, the alligator pear, or avocado (from Sp.
aguacate), has been cultivated in Mexico and Guatemala for millennia; it is now grown
extensively in Florida and California and many parts of the moister tropics and subtropics for its
nutritious oil-rich fruit and is used chiefly in salads. Sassafras (Sassafras albidum), a tree or
shrub, was one of the first American plants to command the attention of European settlers, who
exported it to the Old World as a high-priced panacea. Its aromatic bark is still occasionally used
for medicinal tea, and its pulverized leaves for soup and condiments. Safrole, used in flavorings
and medicinals, is obtained from oil of sassafras as well as from the camphor tree. The camphor
tree, the cassia-bark tree, and the cinnamon tree all belong to the Asian genus Cinnamomum and
are extensively cultivated for their aromatic bark (see cinnamon and camphor). Many of the
evergreen laurels are grown as hedges and, because of their handsome foliage, are used by
florists.
Ma. Chynna Dominik C. Yuvienco
1-AHB
Staff tree.
Source:
Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition. Q1 2014, p1-1. 1p.
Document Type:
Reference Entry
Abstract:
Staff tree, common name for some
temperate members of the Celastraceae, a
family of trees and shrubs (many of them
climbing forms), widely distributed except in
polar regions. These plants typically bear
small greenish flowers and have seeds with
brightly colored (often orange or scarlet) coats
that are exposed when the mature seed pod
splits open. Their fruit and brilliant autumn
foliage make many species popular as
ornamentals. The spindle trees (genus
Euonymus) include the wahoo, or burning
bush (E. alatus, E. atropurpureas), and the strawberry bush (E. americanus), both of E North
America, and a Western species (E. occidentalis) that is also sometimes called wahoo. The East
African plant Catha edulis is the source of khat or qat, a popular Yemeni and East African tealike
beverage or masticatory made using the leaves. Khat contains cathinone, a stimulant that is
similar chemically to amphetamine, and is illegal in the United States. Several members of the
family are valued for their medicinal bark as well as for decoration, e.g., the wahoo and the staff
trees of the genus Celastrus and the Amazonian chuchuhuasi or chichuá of the genus maytenus.
(C. scandens is the climbing bittersweet of North America.) Staff trees are classified in the
division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Celastrales, family Celastraceae.
[ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
Ma. Chynna Dominik C. Yuvienco
1-AHB
Gourd.
Source:
Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition. Q1 2014, p1-1. 1p.
Document Type:
Reference Entry
Abstract:
Gourd (gôrd, gŏrd), common name for some members
of the Cucurbitaceae, a family of plants whose range
includes all tropical and subtropical areas and extends
into the temperate zones. Almost all members of the
family are annual herbs that grow as climbing or
prostrate vines with spirally coiled tendrils. The
characteristic large and fleshy fruit of many genera is
often called a pepo; several genera have dry fruits, some
with a single seed. The family is known for its many
edible and otherwise useful plants. The name gourd is
applied to those whose fruits have hard, durable shells
used for ornament and as utensils, e.g., drinking cups,
dippers, and bowls. The Old World genus Lagenaria
includes the calabash, dipper, and bottle gourds. Luffa
cylindrica is the loofah, dishcloth gourd, or vegetable
sponge; when the edible fruit—called California okra in
the S United States—is bleached dry, the inner fibrous network is used as a filter or a scrubbing
sponge. Among the many other gourds are the serpent, or snake, gourd (Trichosanthes anguina)
of Indomalaysia, whose slender fruit reaches 6 ft (1.8 m) in length. Many of the edible members
of the family have been cultivated for so long—often since prehistoric times—that a single
species may include several quite different varieties. Cucurbita includes the pumpkin, the
vegetable marrow, and the summer squashes (all varieties of C. pepo); the winter squashes
(varieties of C. maxima); and the crooknecks and the cheese pumpkin (varieties of C. moschata).
Cucumis (see melon) includes the cucumbers (C. sativus) and the gherkins (C. anguria); C. melo
includes all melons except the watermelon, which, together with the citron, or preserving, melon,
is Citrullis vulgaris. Of the few members of the family indigenous to the United States, the
colocynth, or bitter-apple (Citrullis colocynthis), yields a powerful laxative from the dried pulp,
and the wild balsam apple, or prickly cucumber (Echinocystis lobata), characteristically explodes
when ripe, shooting out its seeds—as does the Mediterranean squirting cucumber (Ecballium
elaterium). Bryony (two species of Bryonia), cultivated in Central Europe as a cover vine, has
long been valued locally for the medicinal properties of its roots. The African genus
Dendrosicyos is a unique member of the family in that it grows as a small, bushy tree. Gourds
are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Violales, family
Cucurbitaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
Ma. Chynna Dominik C. Yuvienco
1-AHB
Poppy.
Source:
Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition. Q1 2014, p1-1. 1p.
Document Type:
Reference Entry
Abstract:
Poppy, common name for some
members of the Papaveraceae, a
family composed chiefly of herbs of
the Northern Hemisphere having a
characteristic milky or colored sap.
Most species are native to the Old
World; many are cultivated in gardens
for their brilliantly colored if short-
lived blossoms. Many of the species
have several varieties and show a wide
range of colors, especially in red, yellow, and white shades. The true poppy genus is Papaver, but
many flowers of related genera are also called poppies. The most frequently cultivated are the
Oriental poppy (P. orientale), usually bearing a large scarlet flower with a purplish black base,
and the corn poppy (P. rhoeas) and its variety, the Shirley poppy. Other well-known species
include the arctic Iceland poppy (P. nudicaule), the celandine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) of
North America, and the cream cups (Platystemon californica) and California poppy, or
eschscholtzia (Eschscholtzia californica), of the W United States (the latter is the state flower of
California). The Old World greater celandine (Chelidonium majus), also called swallowwart or
wartweed, was formerly believed efficacious in removing warts and in restoring failing eyesight.
(The lesser celandine is an unrelated plant of the buttercup family.) The orange-red sap of the
bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), an early spring wildflower of E North America, was used by
Native Americans as a dye and skin stain. This and many other members of the family are
employed for various medicinal purposes. Economically, the most important plant in the family
is the opium poppy (P. somniferum), now widely cultivated from Europe to East Asia. The milky
sap of its unripe seed pods is the source of opium and several other similar drugs, e.g., morphine,
codeine, and heroin. Poppyseed, also called maw seed, is not narcotic; used as birdseed and for a
flavoring or garnish in baking, it is also ground for flour. Poppy oil, derived from the seeds, is
employed in cooking and illumination and in paints, varnishes, and soaps. The poppy has been
the symbol of the dead and of sleep since antiquity. The poppies of Flanders fields are celebrated
in a poem by John McCrae and are the Memorial Day emblem of World War veterans. Poppies
are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Papaverales, family
Papaveraceae. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
