Kids Encyclopedia

Hollyhock — The hollyhocks comprise about 60 species of flowering plants in the genus Alcea in the mallow family Malvaceae, native to southwest and central Asia. They are biennial or short-lived perennial plants growing to 3.5 m tall, with broad, rounded, palmately lobed leaves and numerous flowers, pink or yellow in the wild species, on the erect central stem. Alcea …

Hibiscus — Hibiscus, or rosemallow, is a large genus of about 200–220 species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae, native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. The genus includes both annual and perennial herbaceous plants, and woody shrubs and small trees. The leaves are alternate, simple, ovate to lanceolate, often with a toothed or lobed …

Heliotrope — The Heliotropes (Heliotropium) is a genus of plants in the family Boraginaceae with 250 to 300 species. Several of them are popular garden plants, most notably Heliotropium arborescens. Some species are weeds and many are toxic if eaten in large quantities. The name Heliotrope (Helios is Greek for sun, tropein means turn) derives from the fact that these …

Heather — Heather, Calluna vulgaris is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. It is the true Heather of Europe, and National Flower of Norway. However it also has an affiliation to Scotland. It is a small perennial shrub growing to 20-50 cm tall (rarely to 1 m), and is found widely in Europe and Asia …

Goldenrod — The goldenrod is a yellow flowering plant in the Family Asteraceae. About 80 perennial species make up the genus Solidago, most being found in the meadows and pastures, along roads, ditches and waste areas in North America, and a few from Europe that were introduced some 250 years ago. Many species are difficult to distinguish. Probably due to …

Gloxinia — Gloxinia is a genus of 3 species of tropical rhizomatous herbs in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae. The species are primarily found in the Andes of South America but Gloxinia perennis is also found in Central America and the West Indies, where it has probably escaped from cultivation. Gloxinia perennis is the original (type) species of the genus …

Gladiolus — Gladiolus (from Latin, the diminutive of gladius, a sword) is a genus of flowering plants in the iris family (Iridaceae). Sometimes called the sword lily, the most widely-used English common name for these plants is simply gladiolus (plural gladioli or gladioluses). The genus Gladiolus contains about 260 species, of which 250 are native to sub-Saharan Africa, mostly South …

Geranium — The cranesbills make up the genus Geranium of 422 species of annual, biennial, and perennial plants found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics, but mostly in the eastern part of the Mediterranean. These attractive flowers will grow in any soil as long as it is not waterlogged. Propagation is by semi-ripe …

Gentian — Gentiana is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Gentian family (Gentianaceae), tribe Gentianeae and monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. This a large genus, with about 400 species. This is a cosmopolitan genus, occurring in alpine habitats of temperate regions of Asia, Europe and the Americas. Some species also occur in northwest Africa, eastern Australia and New Zealand. They …

Gardenia — Gardenia is a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, southern Asia, Australasia and Oceania. The genus was named by Carolus Linnaeus after Dr Alexander Garden (1730-1791), Scottish-born American naturalist. They are evergreen shrubs and small trees growing to 1-15 m tall. The leaves …