Kids Encyclopedia

Bindweed — The Convolvulaceae, known commonly as the bindweed or morning glory family, is a group of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species of mostly herbaceous vines, but also trees, shrubs and herbs. They can easily be recognized by their funnel-shaped radially symmetrical flowers. These have 5 sepals, a corolla of 5 united petals and 5 stamens. The …

Birch European — Betula pendula, (Variously Silver Birch, European Weeping Birch, European White Birch, or Weeping Birch) is a widespread European birch, though in southern Europe it is only found at higher altitudes. Its range extends into southwest Asia in the mountains of northern Turkey and the Caucasus. It is also found growing wild throughout much of Canada. The closely …

Birch Paper — Betula papyrifera (Paper Birch, also known as American White Birch and Canoe Birch) is a species of birch native to northern North America, from Newfoundland west to Alaska, south to Pennsylvania and Washington, with small isolated populations further south in mountains to North Carolina and Colorado. It is a medium-sized deciduous tree reaching 20 m tall (exceptionally …

Bitterroot — The bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva Pursch) is a small, low, pink flower with yellow center. It is the state flower of Montana in the United States. The plant is a low-growing perennial plant with a fleshy taproot and a simple or branched base. The flower stems are leafless, 1-3 cm tall, bearing at the tip a whorl of 5-6 …

Bittersweet — Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet, bitter nightshade, blue bindweed, climbing nightshade, fellenwort, felonwood, poisonberry, poisonflower, scarlet berry, snakeberry, trailing bittersweet, trailing nightshade, violet bloom or, woody nightshade) is a species of vine in the potato genus Solanum, family Solanaceae. It is native to Europe and Asia, and widely naturalised elsewhere, including North America, where it is an invasive problem weed. …

Blackberry — The blackberries (singular, blackberry; genus Rubus, subgenus Eubatus; also called bramble or occasionally “bramble raspberry”) are a widespread and well known group of several hundred species, a number of which are closely related apomictic microspecies, native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere. They are perennial plants which typically bear biennial stems (“canes”) from the perennial root system. In its …

Beet — Beta vulgaris, commonly known as beet or beetroot, is a flowering plant species in the family Chenopodiaceae. Several cultivars are valued around the world as edible root vegetables, fodder (mangel) and sugar-producing sugar beet. Beta vulgaris is a herbaceous biennial or rarely perennial plant with leafy stems growing to 1-2 m tall. The leaves are heart-shaped, 5-20 cm …

Beech European — The European Beech or Common Beech (Fagus sylvatica) is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae. The natural range extends from southern Sweden (with some isolated locations in southern Norway) to central Italy, west to France, northern Portugal, and central Spain, and east to northwest Turkey, where it intergrades with the Oriental Beech (F. orientalis), …

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 — Kolkwitzia amabilis is a species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family known by the common name Beauty Bush. The plant originated in Central China and was named for Richard Kolkwitz, a professor of botany in Berlin. The plant is an arching, spreading shrub, with brown flaky bark and graceful hanging branches, that can grow up to …