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A tropical plant (Ananassa sativa); also, its fruit; -- so called from the resemblance of the latter, in shape and external appearance, to the cone of the pine tree. Its origin is unknown, though conjectured to be American.

(Piper nigrum) is the type. There are about a dozen genera and a thousand species, mostly tropical plants with pungent and aromatic qualities.

A cactaceous shrub (Cereus Pitajaya) of tropical America, which yields a delicious fruit.

A treelike perennial herb (Musa paradisiaca) of tropical regions, bearing immense leaves and large clusters of the fruits called plantains. See Musa.

her allied genera of the family Pleurotmidæ. The species are very numerous, especially in tropical seas. The outer lip has usually a posterior notch or slit.

A prickly tropical shrub (Cæsalpinia, formerly Poinciana, pulcherrima), with bipinnate leaves, and racemes of showy orange-red flowers with long crimson filaments.

Any one of numerous species of tropical food fishes of the family Polynemidæ. They have several slender filaments, often very long, below the pectoral fin. Some of them yield isinglass of good quality. Called also threadfish.

Pertaining to the Pomacentridæ, a family of bright-colored tropical fishes having spiny opercula; -- often called coral fishes.

er and an enormous root. It is common in sandy places in the United States. (b) A similar tropical American plant (I. fastigiata) which it is thought may have been the original stock of the sweet potato.

rthern Atlantic States is Opuntia vulgaris. In the South and West are many others, and in tropical America more than a hundred more. O. vulgaris, O. Ficus-Indica, and O. Tuna are abundantly introduced in the Mediterranean region, and O. Dillenii has become common in India. -- Prickly pole (Bot.), a West Indian palm (B…

The wood of two small tropical American trees (Hamelia ventricosa, and Cordia gerascanthoides). It is brownish, veined with lighter color.

A strong, durable, and elastic wood of a purplish color, obtained from several tropical American leguminous trees of the genus Copaifera (C. pubiflora, bracteata, and officinalis). Used for decorative veneering. See Copaiba.

very strong, being able to crack cocoanuts with the large claw. They chiefly inhabit the tropical islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, living in holes and feeding upon fruit. Called also palm crab. -- Purse net, a fishing net, the mouth of which may be closed or drawn together like a purse. Mortimer. Purse pride…

The wood of several tropical American trees of the order Simarubeæ, as Quassia amara, Picræna excelsa, and Simaruba amara. It is intensely bitter, and is used in medicine and sometimes as a substitute for hops in making beer.

Any one of numerous species of small passerine birds native of tropical America. See Banana quit, under Banana, and Guitguit.

A tropical African asteraceous shrub (Guizotia abyssinica) cultivated for its seeds (called ramtil, or niger, seeds) which yield a valuable oil used for food and as an illuminant.

oint relatively the same; -- designated as the annual, anomalistic, nodical, sidereal, or tropical revolution, according as the point of return or completion has a fixed relation to the year, the anomaly, the nodes, the stars, or the tropics; as, the revolution of the earth about the sun; the revolution of the moon abo…

Any of several pikelike marine fishes of the West Indies and tropical America constituting the family Oxylabracidæ, esp. the largest species (Oxylabrax, syn. Centropomus, undecimalis), a valuable food fish called also snook, the smaller species being called Rob`a*li"to.

The orange-colored pulp covering the seeds of the tropical plant Bixa Orellana, from which annotto is prepared. See Annoto.

A tropical genus of rubiaceous shrubs which often have brilliant flowers.