Kids Encyclopedia

Balsam Fir — The Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea) is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada (Newfoundland west to central Alberta) and the northeastern United States (Minnesota east to Maine, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to West Virginia). It is a small to medium-size evergreen tree typically 14-20 m tall, rarely to 27 m …

Balsa — Balsa (Ochroma pyramidale, synonym O. lagopus) is a large, fast-growing tree that can grow up to 30m (100ft) tall, native to tropical South America north to southern Mexico. It is evergreen, or dry-season deciduous if the dry season is long, with large (30¨C50 cm, 12-20 in) weakly palmately lobed leaves. The name balsa derives from Spanish for a …

Balloonflower — Platycodon grandiflorus is a species of perennial flowering plant of the family Campanulaceae and the only member of the genus Platycodon. These species are commonly referred to as platycodon, Chinese bellflower, sometimes also Japanese bellflower, common balloon flower, or simply balloon flower. It is native to East Asia (China, East Siberia, Japan, and Korea) and bears big blue …

Bald Cypress — Taxodium distichum (Baldcypress, Bald Cypress, or Swamp Cypress) is a species of conifer native to the southeastern United States. It is a large tree, reaching 25–40 m (rarely to 44 m) tall and trunk diameter of 2–3 m, rarely to 5 m. The bark is gray-brown to red-brown, shallowly vertically fissured, with a stringy texture. The leaves …

Bachelor’s Button — Bachelor’s button (Cornflower, Centaurea cyanus, Basket flower, Bluebottle, Boutonniere flower, Hurtsickle) is a small annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe. It is an annual plant growing to 40-90 cm tall, with grey-green branched stems. The leaves are lanceolate, 1-4 cm long. The flowers are most commonly an intense blue colour, produced in flowerheads …

Azalea — Azaleas are flowering shrubs making up part of the genus Rhododendron. Originally azaleas were classed as a different genus of plant, but now they are recognised as two of the eight sub-genera of rhododendrons – subgenus Pentanthera (deciduous), and subgenus Titsushi (evergreen). One major difference between azaleas and the rest of the rhododendron family is their size. Another …

Avocado — The avocado (Persea americana) is a tree native to Mexico, Central America, and Guam, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. The name “avocado” also refers to the fruit of the tree with an egg-shaped pit. P. americana has a long history of being cultivated in Central and South America; a water jar shaped like an avocado, dating …

Aster — Aster (syn. Diplopappus Cass.) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. The genus once contained nearly 600 species in Eurasia and North America, but after morphologic and molecular research on the genus during the 1990s, it was decided that the North American species are better treated in a series of other genera. After this split …

Aspens — Aspens are trees of the willow family and comprise a section of the poplar genus, Populus sect. Populus. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the far north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south only at high altitudes in mountains. The White Poplar by contrast is native to much warmer regions, …

Asparagus Fern — Asparagus densiflorus (Sprenger’s Asparagus; syn. Asparagus aethiopicus L., Asparagopsis densiflora Kunth, Protasparagus aethiopicus (L.) Oberm., Protasparagus densiflorus (Kunth) Oberm.) is a weed native to South Africa, which is often used as an ornamental plant. Asparagus densiflorus is toxic to domestic housecats. Also known as ‘Sprengers Asparagus’, named after Carl Ludwig Sprenger who made it popular in Europe …