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acid rain

(Encyclopedia) acid rain or acid deposition, form of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, or hail) containing high levels of sulfuric or nitric acids (pH below 5.5–5.6). Produced when sulfur dioxide and…

oriole

(Encyclopedia) oriole, common name applied to various perching birds of the Old (family Oriolidae) and New (family Icteridae) Worlds. The European orioles are allied to the crows, while the American…

pike, in zoology

(Encyclopedia) pike, common name for the family Esocidae, freshwater game and food fishes of Europe, Asia, and North America. The pike, the muskellunge, and the pickerel form a small but well-known…

ginseng

(Encyclopedia) CE5 Dwarf ginseng, Panax trifolium ginsengginsengjĭnˈsĕng [key], common name for the Araliaceae, a family of tropical herbs, shrubs, and trees that are often prickly and sometimes…

Mound Builders

(Encyclopedia) Mound Builders, in North American archaeology, name given to those people who built mounds in a large area from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Mississippi River to…

Permian period

(Encyclopedia) Permian periodPermian periodpûrˈmēən [key] [from Perm, Russia], sixth and last period of the Paleozoic era (see Geologic Timescale, tablegeologic timescale, table) from 250 to 290…

Carboniferous period

(Encyclopedia) Carboniferous periodCarboniferous periodkärbənĭfˈərəs [key], fifth period of the Paleozoic era of geologic time (see Geologic Timescale, tablegeologic timescale, table), from 350 to…

Hall, Basil

(Encyclopedia) Hall, Basil, 1788–1844, British naval officer and traveler. In the service from 1802 to 1823, he commanded vessels on scientific assignments and voyages of exploration. He wrote of…

Schimper, Karl Friedric

(Encyclopedia) Schimper, Karl FriedricSchimper, Karl Friedricshĭmˈpər [key], 1803–67, German botanist. He did important work in plant morphology and originated the theory, called phyllotaxis, that…

pokeweed

(Encyclopedia) pokeweed or pokeberry, tall, bushy perennial herb (Phytolacca americana) native to North America but cultivated and naturalized in Europe. The long clusters of white flowers are…