Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Woolf, Virginia, 1882–1941, English novelist and essayist, b. Adeline Virgina Stephen; daughter of Sir Leslie Stephen. A successful innovator in the form of the novel, she is considered a significan...

(Encyclopedia) rhododendron rōˌdədĕnˈdrən [key] [Gr.,=rose tree], any plant of the genus Rhododendron, shrubs of the family Ericaceae (heath family) found chiefly in mountainous areas of the arctic and north t...

(Encyclopedia) Leesburg, city (1990 pop. 14,903), Lake co., N central Fla., in a hill and lake region; inc. 1875. Leesburg, named for Evander Lee, its founder, is a processing and shipping center in a citrus-fruit a...

(Encyclopedia) Laurens, Henry lôrˈənz, lärˈ– [key], 1724–92, political leader in the American Revolution, b. Charleston, S.C. A wealthy merchant and planter, he was, in the years preceding the Revolution, a...

(Encyclopedia) Arlington, county (2020 pop. 238,643), N Va., across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Arlington is a residential and commercial suburb of Washington. Within its boundaries are Arlin...

(Encyclopedia) Opelika ōpəlīˈkə [key], city (1990 pop. 22,122), seat of Lee co., E Ala., near the Chattahoochee River, in a farm area; inc. 1854. It is a trade center, with industries that produce textiles, lum...

(Encyclopedia) McClellan, George Brinton, 1826–85, Union general in the American Civil War, b. Philadelphia. After graduating (1846) from West Point, he served with distinction in the Mexican War and later worked ...

(Encyclopedia) World Health Organization (WHO), specialized agency of the United Nations, established in 1948, with its headquarters at Geneva. WHO admits all sovereign states (including those not belonging to the U...

(Encyclopedia) Twombly, Cy (Edwin Parker Twombly, Jr.), 1928–2011, American painter, b. Lexington, Va., studied Boston Museum School, Washington and Lee Univ., Lexington, Va., Art Students' League, New York City. ...

(Encyclopedia) perennial, any plant that under natural conditions lives for several to many growing seasons, as contrasted to an annual or a biennial. Botanically, the term perennial applies to both woody and herbac...