Kids Encyclopedia

Begonia — Begonia is a genus in the flowering plant family Begoniaceae. The only other member of the family Begoniaceae is Hillebrandia, a genus with a single species in the Hawaiian Islands. The genus Symbegonia is now included in Begonia. “Begonia” is the common name as well as the generic name for all members of the genus. With ca. 1500+ …

Bedstraw — Galium is a large genus of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Rubiaceae, with about 400 species occurring in the temperate zones of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Most species are known as bedstraw. The Field Madder (Sherardia arvensis) is a close relative and may be confused with a tiny bedstraw. Asperula ise also a …

Beauty Bush — Beauty bush, Kolkwitzia amabilis, is a hardy deciduous shrub in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae. It is native to China and grows up to 4.5 m (15 ft) high in temperate regions. Leaves are ovate, up to 7.5 cm (3 in) long. Both the young leaves and branches are hairy when young. Its bell-shaped flowers are soft pink …

Beardtongue — Beard-tongue (Penstemon) is a large genus of North American and East Asian plants traditionally placed in the Scrophulariaceae family. Due to new genetic research it has now been placed in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae. They have opposite leaves, partly tube-shaped and two-lipped flowers and seed capsules. The most distinctive feature of the genus is the prominent staminode, …

Balloonflower — The 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 …

Bachelor’s Button — Centaurea cyanus (Cornflower, Bachelor’s button, 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 …

Aster — Aster 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 there are roughly …

Asparagus — Asparagus officinalis is a flowering plant species in the genus Asparagus from which the popular vegetable known as asparagus is obtained. It is native to most of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia. It is now also widely cultivated as a vegetable crop. Asparagus is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 100-150 cm tall, with stout stems with …

Arum — Arum is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region. They are rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial plants growing to 20-60 cm tall, with saggitate (arrowhead-shaped) leaves 10-55 cm long. The flowers are produced in a spadix, surrounded …