Kids Encyclopedia

Okra — Okra, also known as lady’s finger, vendaikai (Tamil), bhindi (Hindustani), ramtoriyan (Nepali) and gumbo, is a flowering plant in the mallow (along with such species as cotton and cocoa) family valued for its edible green fruits. Its scientific name is Abelmoschus esculentus. The species is an annual or perennial, growing to 2 m tall. The leaves are 10–20 …

Oat — The common oat plant (Avena sativa) is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other grains). While oats are suitable for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats, one of the most common uses is as livestock feed. Oats make up a large part …

Oak, White — The tree species Quercus alba is also called “white oak”. It is a long-lived oak in the family Fagaceae, native to eastern North America, from southern Quebec west to eastern Minnesota, and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. Specimens are known to have lived over 600 years. Although called the white oak it is very unusual …

Oak, Red — The Northern Red Oak or Champion Oak, Quercus rubra (syn. Quercus borealis), is an oak in the red oak group (Quercus section Lobatae). It is a native of North America, in the northeastern United States and southeast Canada. It grows from the north end of the Great Lakes, east to Nova Scotia, south as far as Georgia …

Nutmeg — The nutmegs Myristica are a genus of evergreen trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia. They are important for two spices derived from the fruit, nutmeg and mace. Nutmeg is the actual seed of the tree, roughly egg-shaped and about 1 inch (20–30 mm) long and 3/4 inch (15–18 mm) wide, and weighing between one quarter and …

Nasturtium — Nasturtium (literally “nose-twister” or “nose-tweaker”), as a common name, refers to a genus of roughly 80 species of annual and perennial herbaceous flowering plants Tropaeolum (“Trophy”), one of three genera in the family Tropaeolaceae. It should not be confused with the Watercresses of the genus Nasturtium, of the Mustard family. This genus, native to South and Central America, …

Narcissus — Narcissus is the botanic name for a genus of mainly hardy, mostly spring-flowering, bulbs in the Amaryllis family native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia. There are also several Narcissus species that bloom in the autumn. Though Hortus Third cites 26 wild species, Daffodils for North American Gardens cites between 50 and 100 excluding species variants and wild …

Myrtle — The Myrtle (Myrtus) is a genus of one or two species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae, native to southern Europe and north Africa. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees, growing to 5 m tall. The leaves are entire, 3-5 cm long, with a pleasantly fragrant essential oil. The star-like flowers have five petals and sepals, …

Mock Orange — Mock-orange (Philadelphus; also Mockorange, Mock Orange, Syringa) is a genus of about 60 species of shrubs from 1 to 6 m tall, native to North America, Central America, Asia and (locally) in southeast Europe. Most are deciduous but a few species from the south of the genus’ range are evergreen. The leaves are opposite, simple, with serrated …

Mushroom — A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name “mushroom” is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, hence the word mushroom is most often applied to fungi (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes) that have a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus), and gills …