See Also: Robert-Houdin, Jean-Eugene(encyclopedia)
flower(encyclopedia)
Flower(medicine)
flower(1)(dictionary)
flower(2)(dictionary)
flower child(dictionary)
disc flower(medicine)
flower-2fer(medicine)
flower-fence(medicine)
Flower's bone(medicine)

Robert-Houdin, Jean-Eugene (sh) and flower (sh)


Robert-Houdin, Jean-Eugene (sh)




orig. Jean-Eugene Robert

born Dec. 6, 1805, Blois, France
died June 13, 1871, St. Gervais, near Blois

French magician, considered the father of modern conjuring.

Trained as a watchmaker, he became a magician at the Palais-Royal (1845-55), performing on a bare stage in evening dress rather than the usual wizardlike costume. He used familiar objects to create his illusions, then gave a plausible explanation of the technical procedures involved. Robert-Houdin was the first magician to use electricity, and he exposed magicians who relied on supernatural explanations for their feats. In 1856 he was sent to Algeria by the French government to counter the influence of the dervishes, who were encouraging rebellion against French forces, by duplicating their feats.


flower (sh)




Reproductive portion of any flowering plant (angiosperm).

Popularly, the term applies especially when part or all of the reproductive structure is distinctive in colour and form. Flowers present a multitude of combinations of colour, size, form, and anatomical arrangement. In some plants, individual flowers are very small and are borne in a distinctive cluster (inflorescence). Each flower consists of a floral axis that bears the essential organs of reproduction (stamens and pistils) and usually accessory organs (sepals and petals); the latter may serve both to attract pollinating insects (see pollination) and to protect the essential organs. Flower parts are arrayed usually in whorls, but sometimes spirally. Four distinct whorls are common: the outer calyx (sepals), the corolla (petals), the androecium (stamens), and, in the centre, the gynoecium (pistils). The sepals are usually greenish and often resemble reduced leaves; the petals are usually colourful and showy. Pollen is produced in the stamens. A pollen-receptive stigma rests atop each pistil. The pistil, made up of one or more carpels, encloses an ovary that contains the ovules, or potential seeds. After fertilization, the ovary enlarges to form the fruit. Flowers have been symbols of Beauty in most civilizations of the world, and flower giving is still among the most popular of social amenities.