Kids Encyclopedia

Chive — Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are the smallest species of the onion family Alliaceae, native to Europe, Asia and North America. They are referred to only in the plural, because they grow in clumps rather than as individual plants. Allium schoenoprasum is also the only species of Allium native to both the New and the Old World. Its species name …

Chinquapin — Chinquapins are shrubs and trees of the CHESTNUT genus Castanea. They differ from the CHESTNUT tree in their hairy leaves and smaller, single-seeded burrs. Wood from the common, or Allegheny, chinquapin, Castanea pumila, a small tree of the eastern and southern United States, is used for posts. Evergreen chinquapins, Castanopsis, grow mainly in eastern Asia, except for two …

Black-Eyed Susan Vine — Thunbergia alata, commonly called Black-eyed Susan vine, is a herbaceous perennial climbing plant species in the Acanthaceae family. It is native to Eastern Africa, and has been naturalized in other parts of the world. It is found in Cerrado vegetation of Brazil and Hawaii, along with eastern Australia and the southern USA in the states of …

Chicory — Chicory is the common name given to the flowering plants in genus Cichorium of the family Asteraceae. There are two cultivated species, and four to six wild species. Common chicory (Cichorium intybus) is a bushy perennial herb with blue or lavender flowers. Originating from Europe, it was naturalized in North America, where it has become a common roadside …

Chestnut — Chestnut (Castanea), including chinkapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to warm temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. Most of the species are large trees growing to 20-40 m tall, but some species (the chinkapins) …

Chick-Pea — The chickpea, chick pea, garbanzo bean, Indian pea, ceci bean, bengal gram, hummus, kadale kaalu (Kannada), sanaga pappu (Telugu), chana or channa (Cicer arietinum) is an edible legume (English “pulse”) of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. The garbanzo is often used as a source of protein by vegetarians and vegans since it has one of the highest protein …

Chinese Cabbage — Chinese cabbage is a Chinese leaf vegetable commonly used in Chinese cuisine. The vegetable is related to the Western cabbage and of the same species as the common turnip. Chinese cabbage has been cultivated for over six thousand years in China. Brassica rapa seeds have been found in jars in the excavated New Stone Age settlement of …

Cherry — The word cherry refers to a fleshy fruit (drupe) that contains a single stony seed. The cherry belongs to the family Rosaceae, genus Prunus, along with almonds, peaches, plums, apricots and bird cherries. The subgenus, Cerasus, is distinguished by having the flowers in small corymbs of several together (not singly, nor in racemes), and by having a smooth …

Chenille Plant — The chenille plant, or Acalypha hispida, belongs to the family of Euphorbiaceae and is from the subfamily of Acalyphinae. This plant is known as the Philippines Medusa, Red-hot Cat’s Tail and Fox Tail in English. This species is mostly found in tropical locations (except Hawaii and some islands in the Pacific Ocean). The Americas have two thirds …

Catalpa — Catalpa, also spelled Catawba, is a genus of mostly deciduous trees in the flowering plant family Bignoniaceae, native to warm temperate regions of North America, the West Indies, and eastern Asia. Catalpas grow to 10-25 m tall, and can be recognized by their large heart-shaped to three-lobed leaves, showy white or yellow flowers in broad panicles, and in …