Kids Encyclopedia

Daisy — The family Asteraceae or Compositae, known as the aster, daisy or sunflower family, is the second largest family of flowering plants, after Orchidaceae, in terms of number of species. The name ‘Asteraceae’ is derived from the type genus Aster, while ‘Compositae’, an older but still valid name, means composite and refers to the peculiar inflorescence. According to the …

Delphinium — Delphinium is a genus of about 250 species of annual, biennial or perennial flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native throughout the Northern Hemisphere and also on the high mountains of tropical Africa. The common name, shared with the closely related genus Consolida, is Larkspur. The leaves are deeply lobed with 3-7 toothed, pointed lobes. The main …

Date — The Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is a palm in the genus Phoenix, extensively cultivated for its edible fruit. Due to its long history of cultivation for fruit, its exact native distribution is unknown, but probably originated somewhere in the desert oases of northern Africa, and perhaps also southwest Asia. It is a medium-sized tree, 15–25 m tall, often …

Dahlia — Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, perennial plants native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. There at least 36 species of Dahlia. Dahlia hybrids are commonly grown as garden plants. The Aztecs gathered and cultivated the dahlia for food, ceremony, as well as decorative purposes, and the long woody stem of one variety was used for small …

Daffodil — Narcissus is the botanic name for a genus of mainly hardy, mostly spring-flowering, bulbs in the Amaryllis family native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia. There are also several Narcissus species that bloom in the autumn. Though Hortus Third cites 26 wild species, Daffodils for North American Gardens cites between 50 and 100 excluding species variants and wild …

Cypress — Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the conifer family Cupressaceae (cypress family). Most plants which bear the common name cypress are in the genera Cupressus and Chamaecyparis, but several other genera in the family also carry the name. The Cupressaceae or cypress family is a conifer family with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27 to …

Cyclamen — Cyclamen is a genus of 20 species of flowering plants, traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae, but in recent years reclassified in the family Myrsinaceae. The genus is most widely known by its scientific name cyclamen being taken into common usage; other names occasionally used include sowbread and sometimes, confusingly, persian violet (it is not related to the …

Cycad — Cycads are a group of seed plants characterized by a large crown of compound leaves and a stout trunk. They are evergreen, gymnospermous, dioecious plants having large pinnately compound leaves. They are frequently confused with and mistaken for palms or ferns, but are related to neither, belonging to the division Cycadophyta. Cycads are found across much of the …

Custard Apple — The Custard-apple (Annona reticulata), known in English as bullock’s heart or bull’s heart, in Haiti as “Kashiman”, in French as “Cashiman” in Hindi as sitaphal or Sita’s fruit and in Urdu as “Shareefah”, in Thai as “Noi-na,” is a species of Annona, native to the tropical New World, preferring a low elevation, and a warm, humid climate. …

Currant — The currant is a hardy shrub in the genus Ribes, of the family Saxifraga. The genus includes about 150 species, of which the European black currant and the red currant are most important in cultivation. The European black currant is an alternate host for white pine blister rust, and planting is prohibited in many states to protect white …