Bougainvillea, is the name of a group of South American shrubs and climbing vines. They grow to a height of 10 feet (3 meters) or more. They have small flowers that are enclosed by large, colorful bracts(modified leaves). The bracts may be red, purple, pink, orange, or pale yellow.They are often grown as porch climbers in the South and in California, and for hedges in South America. They must be kept in greenhouses in colder climates because frost kills them. They are raised from sterns cut from older plants.

Broom is the name of a group of attractive shrubs. More than 100 species grow in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Some types of broom plants are used to make dyes. The Scotch broom, a native of Europe, is grown in the United States. Many of its green branches are leafless or almost without leaves. The showy, yellow flowers are shaped like butterflies. The fruit is a pod with one or more seeds in it. The English royal house of Plantagenet received its name from the Latin term Planta genista, which means sprig of the broom plant See also Legume.

Scientific classification. Scientists classify most broom plants in the pea family, Fabaceae or Leguminosae. The scientific name for the Scotch broom is Cytisus scoparius.

BUCKWHEAT is a quick-growing annual plant, grown for its shining, three-sided fruits or “grain.” The plants are native in Asia, but are grown also in Europe, Africa, and North America.

Three types of buckwheat are grown: common buckwheat, Tartary buckwheat, and notched or winged buckwheat. The U.S.S.R. was the world’s largest producer, followed by France, Poland, Canada, and the United States. Pennsylvania and New York produce more than half of the United States crop.

Most buckwheat is raised for the grain, which is fed to poultry, hogs, or cattle. In the United States and Canada, some is made into pancake flour and other foods. The straw and hulls are used as mulches to protect the roots of plants

From the flowers bees make buckwheat-flavored honey. The drug rutin is taken from the leaves and flowers. Rutin is used to reduce high blood pressure and is used in the treatment of radiation injury.

Buckwheat also is planted as a smother crop to stop weed growth; as a cover crop to prevent soil erosion; as “green manure” to add humus to soil; and in out of-the-way places as feed for game birds and animals.

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