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Endive

Endive — Endive, Cichorium endivia is a leaf vegetable belonging to the daisy family. Endive can be cooked or used raw in salads. The technique for growing endives was accidentally discovered in the 1830s in the Josaphat valley in Schaerbeek, Belgium. Endive is cultivated for culinary use by cutting the leaves from the growing plant, then keeping the living stem …

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Elm

Elm — Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus, family Ulmaceae, found throughout the Northern Hemisphere from Siberia to Indonesia, Mexico to Japan. Many species and cultivars have also been introduced as ornamentals to parts of the Southern Hemisphere, notably Australasia. Elms have alternate, simple, single- or doubly-serrate leaves, usually asymmetric at the base and acuminate at …

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Dutchman’s-Pipe

Dutchman’s-Pipe — Aristolochia is a large plant genus with over 500 species. Collectively known as birthworts, pipevines or Dutchman’s pipes, they are the namesake of the family (Aristolochiaceae). They are widespread and occur in the most diverse climates, but they are not native to Australia. Some species, like A. utriformis and A. westlandii, are threatened with extinction. This is a …

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Douglas Fir

Douglas Fir — Douglas-fir is the common name applied to coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico and two in eastern Asia. The Douglas-firs gave 19th century botanists problems due to their similarity to various other conifers better known at the time; they have at …

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Dogwood

Dogwood — The Dogwoods comprise a group of 30-50 species of deciduous woody plants (shrubs and trees) in the family Cornaceae, divided into one to nine genera or subgenera (depending on botanical interpretation). Four subgenera are enumerated here. Most species have opposite leaves and a few have alternate. The fruit of all species is a drupe with one or two …

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Dogbane

Dogbane — Apocynum is a genus with about seven species, commonly known as Dogbane and Indian Hemp. The genus occurs throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere, except for being absent from western Europe. Apocynum species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Mouse Moth. Dogbane, Apocynum, or Indian hemp, is an herb of …

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Dieffenbachia

Dieffenbachia — Dieffenbachia is a genus of tropical plants in the Family Marantaceae noted for their patterned leaves. Members of this genus are popular as houseplants because of their tolerance to shade. The Dieffenbachia is often referred to as the “King of Plants”. The cells of the Dieffenbachia plant contain needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals called raphides. If a leaf is …

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