Anthurium is the name of a large genus of flowering plants native to tropical regions (Tropical Flowers) in North and South

America. There are about 1,100 species ofanthuriums. They grow wild chiefly in rain forests. They also are cultivated in greenhouses andgardens. Many wild anthuriumswrap around tree trunks and branches, though some grow along the ground. Most anthuriums have large evergreen leaves shaped like hearts. In some species, the leaves are lobed or separated. The pink flamingo; also, is one of the most commonly cultivated anthuriums. Anthuriums are grown for their beautiful leaves and brightly colored leaf like spathes, rated into fingerlike leaflets. Anthuriums bear very small flowers tightly packed on a cylindrical fleshy stalk called a spadix. The spadix rises from a shiny, leaf-like spathe, which is often brightly colored. One of the most commonly cultivated anthuriums is the pink flamingo, also called flamingo lily. This plant has a bright pink spathe that lasts several weeks. Gardeners also grow anthuriums for their attractive leaves. The leaf veins of some species are outlined in pale green to silvery white against a dark green or purple background.

ZINNIA is one of the most easily cultivated of all the garden flowers. Their bright blossoms may be rose, orange, crimson, scarlet, yellow, salmon, or purple. They stand stiffly erect on hairy stems which are from three inches to three feet high, depending upon the variety grown. They have an abundance of thick, dark green foliage which makes them easy to arrange and useful in home decoration. Zinnias grow best if the seeds are planted indoors in March and are transplanted to a sunny spot when the weather is warm. In well-fertilized soil there will be an abundance of bloom from midsummer until frost. Dwarf and giant varieties have been developed which show a variety of unusual shapes and colors. The zinnia belongs to the Compositae family and grows wild from the southern United States and Mexico to Chile.

MORNING GLORY is any of several flowering vines of the Convolvulaceae family. This family includes hundreds of species found in all the warmer parts of the world. Among them are the sweet potato, bindweed, and moonflower. Some are showy vines, and others are troublesome weeds. The common morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea) is the showy flowering vine that is widely grown in the temperate regions of North America. It is an annual, but certain other species are perennials. All morning glories thrive in hot weather. The leaves are usually heart shaped and light green. The blossoms are spreading and funnel shaped. They may be white or light pink. The unproved varieties also have large blue, red, purple, or striped blossoms. One species, I. pandurata, has large, white blossoms that open in the evening. The blossoms of most of the others open in the morning and close about the middle of the afternoon. Morning glories are easily cultivated in good soil. They are popular as coverings on fences and trellises. The tip of the plant slowly revolves around in a circle until it touches some object. Then it coils around it and starts to climb. Morning glories need brush, fences, string, or other vines to climb on.

Snakeroot is the name of several very different flowering plants that grow in prairies and woodlands. These plants all became known as snakeroot because their roots supposedly looked like snakes or because they were used to treat snakebites. Virginia snakeroot grows in the Eastern United States. The common black snakeroot produces a medicinal drug. It reaches a height of up to 3 feet (91 centimeters) and has brownish purple flowers. People once chewed its roots and then applied them to wounds. Texas snakeroot, also called Red River snakeroot and serpentary, is found in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. It has bright-green oval leaves and dark-brown flowers. Texas snakeroot was used to make a tonic taken as a stimulant and painkiller. Button snakeroot grows in the Eastern and Central United States. American Indians used it for rattlesnake bites. Button snakeroot has long narrow leaves and purple flowers. A number of plants are called black snakeroot. Perhaps the most common of these is a tall herb also known as bugbane and black cohosh. This plant grows up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall and is found in woods and on shady hillsides in the eastern half of the United States and Canada. Its roots produce a bitter medicine that has been used to treat breathing ailments. Scientific classification. Virginia and Texas snakeroot belong to the birthwort family, Aristolochiaceae. Virginia snakeroot is Aristolochia serpentaria and Texas snakeroot is A reticulata. Button snakeroots are in the genus Liatrus of thecomposite family, Compositae. The common black snakeroot belongs to the crowfoot family, Ranunculaceae. It is Cimicifuga racemosa. Margaret R. Bollck.

Snowball, also called European cranberry bush or Guelder rose, is a handsome shrub of the honeysuckle family. It produces large, ball-shaped white flowers that grow in clusters. The plant is believed to be native to the Dutch province of Gelderland. Today, it is often grown in parks and lawns in the United States. It is a cultivated form of high bush cranberry and grows from 7 to 12 feet (2.1 to 3.7 meters) tall. The flowers of the cultivated species are sterile and do not produce fruit, but a wild variety bears juicy, red berries. Scientific classification. The snowball is in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae. It is Viburnum opulus. Snowdrop is the name of a group of flowering plants native Europe, the Middle East, and western Asia. Some species, including the common snowdrop of Europe, are commonly grown in gardens. Snowdrops bear nodding, white, bell-shaped flowers. Snowdrops are one of the earliest spring flowers, and they sometimes during warm spells in midwinter. Some snow-drops bloom in the fall. The common snowdrop is sometimes called the Fair Maid of February. Snowdrops grow from a small bulb that produces two or three narrow leaves and a flower stalk. The stalk of the common snowdrop usually grows from 4 to 9 inches (10 to 23 centimeters) tall. Snowdrops are easy to cultivate, and they grow best in partial shade and moist soil. The bulbs are planted 3 to 4 Inches (7.5 to 10 centimeters) deep in the fall. The plants multiply each year, and a few bulbs may eventually produce large clumps of snowdrops.

LICORICE, a well-known flavor, is a product of the long, sweet root of a plant of the pea family. The plant, called common or Spanish licorice, is a perennial. It grows three to five feet tall, with pale blue, pea like flowers, and leaves of 9 to 17 leaflets. A native of southern Europe and western Asia, the plant is cultivated in Italy, Spain, and the Russia. The United States imports large quantities of licorice, although some is grown in Louisiana and California. Roots are dug when the plants are three years old. When harvested they are full of water and must be dried for six months to a year. The dried roots are then cut or sawed into pieces six inches to a foot long, sorted, and baled. The United States imports most of its licorice supply in this form. To prepare licorice the roots are crushed and boiled, and the remaining liquid is evaporated. This leaves a paste or black stick licorice. These licorice sticks are made from the paste mixed with a little starch so they will not melt in warm weather. The prepared licorice is used in medicines as a cough remedy, as a laxative, and to make some medicines taste better. As a flavoring, it is used in candy, chewing gum, and beverages.

SWEET PEA. In 1699 a monk found some butterfly-shaped flowers growing wild in the fields of Sicily. He sent a handful of their seeds to a doctor in England. From the offspring of these seeds have been selected the several hundred varieties of sweet peas which are today the daintiest of garden flowers. The sweet pea belongs to the same family as the edible pea. The original flowers were purplish blue in color. Gardeners soon began to select new colors and larger flowers than were found in the wild plant. In the United States interest in sweet peas did not begin until the 1890s. Today, however, thousands of acres in California alone are devoted entirely to growing sweet peas. The sweet pea vine has rough, winged stems. The thin, pale green leaves bear tendrils which help to support the plant in climbing. There are two general types of sweet peas; the tall and the dwarf. The fragrant blossoms of each type vary in form from single to hooded double. In texture they vary from smooth and velvety to wavy and crinkled. The colors range from white through all the pastel tints, to blue, red, and purple. The seeds should be sown in early spring in cool climates or in the fall in warm climates. The soil should be fairly rich and well drained. The bed should be in a rather shady spot. It is important to choose a place where the roots of trees will not rob the soil of richness. The seeds should be planted about six inches apart. They should be covered with

about one inch of soil. As the plants come up the earth should be rounded up toward the vines to form a low ridge. Trellises or strings are needed to support the vines. Throughout the season the plants should be cultivated and watered. The blossoms should be picked daily, as flowering stops as soon as seeds are allowed to form. Most abundant flowering occurs when the weather is cool.

BULB (bulb). A bulb is a thick, fleshy bud that usually grows underground. In many plants, such as the tiger lily, it grows above ground, in the spot where the leaves branch from the plant stem. Bulbs are of two types: the scaly and the tunicate. The scary type bulb as in most lilies is made up of a short central core inside of thick, fleshy, scale like leaves. The tunicate bulb, such as the onion, has fleshy leaf bases in smooth and continuous layers. If an onion is cut in half, the inside looks like thickened bands or circles of tissue. Roots generally grow from the base of the bulb. The bulb serves as a storage place with enough food and water to supply the plant during winter or a dry period. The bulb is also a storehouse for new stems, leaves and flowers, after the plant first flowers. In fact, the bulb has in it a new stem and often the beginnings of flowers and leaves as well. These are protected within the bulb by the bulb scales. These scales or leaves are a food storehouse for the plant. The food stored in the bulbs during one season is used for the beginning of the growth of the stem, leaves and flowers during the next season. A number of different kinds of bulbs such as the onion are used for food. Some other examples of the bulb are the lily bulbs, the tulip bulbs, and the hyacinth.