Kids Encyclopedia

Colorado

Colorado, one of the Mountain states of the United States, is a landlocked, rectangular territory. It is bordered by six states: Wyoming and Nebraska on the north, Utah on the west, New Mexico and Oklahoma on the south, and Kansas on the east. Permanent human occupation of the area dates back at least 10,000 years. Spanish exploratory expeditions beginning in …

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Zinnia

Zinnia — Zinnia is a genus of 20 species of annual and perennial plants of family Asteraceae, originally from scrub and dry grassland in an area stretching from the American Southwest to South America, but primarily Mexico, and notable for their solitary long-stemmed flowers that come in a variety of bright colors. Zinnia leaves are opposite and usually stalkless, with …

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Yucca

Yucca — The yuccas comprise the genus Yucca of 40-50 species of perennials, shrubs, and trees in the agave family Agavaceae, notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal clusters of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North America, Central America, and the West Indies. Yuccas have a …

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Yellowwood

Yellowwood — Cladrastis (Yellowwood) is a genus of seven species of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, six native to eastern Asia, and one to southeastern North America. They are small to medium-sized deciduous trees typically growing 10–20 m tall, exceptionally to 27 m tall. The leaves are compound pinnate, with 5–17 alternately arranged leaflets. The flowers are fragrant, white …

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Yam

Yam — Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae). These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania. There are hundreds of cultivars among the cultivated species. Yams are not sweet potatoes, but are used in a fashion similar to both sweet potatoes …

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