Gadis perindu (Sphagneticola calendulacea)

Gadis perindu (Sphagneticola calendulacea) is a species of flowering plants, spread using seeds, living near water in an open place, getting lots of sunlight, growing fast in the rainy season and strong in all weather conditions in tropical climates.

S. calendulacea is commonly found wild in Indonesia, especially in habitats around irrigation channels and rice fields that live together with grass. Plants grow wild and quickly spread during the rainy season on agricultural lands and farmers consider them weeds.

These wild grasses have fiber roots, green woody stems, grow to as high as 0.5 meters, green leaves and yellow flowers. The stem generally spreads sideways and grows on the ground, although some stalks go upwards.

The leaves grow along the stalk, green, the upper surface has hair and have wavy contours following the arterial lines. The tip of the leaf is pointed, the sides are jagged and has two wings on the left and right. The bottom surface is light green.

Flowers come from each end of the stem, the petals are green and face up. Compound crowns, usually composed of nine parts in a circular structure and bright yellow which are very striking among the surrounding grasses.

Compound pistils, stemmed and lined tightly to form a circle in the middle of the crown. Seeds spread using insects including butterflies, grasshoppers, ants, etc., although wind is also possible. The famous S. calendulacea produces wedelolactone and demethylwedelolactone.

Traditional Javanese medicine uses S. calendulacea to treat respiratory problems, headaches, toothache, bronchitis, menstrual disorders, hemorrhoids and hair fertilizers. Javanese traditionally consider these plant extracts from various types of solvents to have antioxidant and antibacterial activity.

Kingdom: Plantae
- : Angiosperms
- : Eudicots
- : Asterids
- : Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribe: Heliantheae
Genus: Sphagneticola
Species: S. calendulacea

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...

Purwaceng (Pimpinella pruatjan)

Purwaceng or purwoceng or antanan gunung or Viagra of Java ( Pimpinella pruatjan or Pimpinella priatjan ) are small termas growing horizontally in Apiaceae, growing in villages on Dieng Plateau, Central Java Province, Indonesia, at 1,500 to 2,000 meters above sea level, the roots have medicinal properties for aphrodisiacs and are usually processed in powder form for a mixture of coffee or milk. P. pruatjan grows flat on the ground but does not propagate, small leaves are reddish green for 1-3 cm in diameter. This plant is only found in Java and grows in high mountain areas. A low population where industrial demand is very high results in increasingly scarce. Another place that is likely to become a purwaceng habitat is the Iyang Mountains and the Tengger Mountains in East Java Province. Efforts to multiply and cultivate have a big problem where these plants have difficulty producing seeds. In vitro propagation research through tissue cultivation has been carried out to overcome ...

Javanese grasshopper (Valanga nigricornis)

Wooden grasshopper or Javanese grasshopper ( Valanga nigricornis ) is an animal species of Acrididae, grasshoppers that have at least 18 subspecies, insects with very wide diversity in color and size, sexual dimorphism in which females are larger in size and paler in color. V. nigricornis in males has a length of 45-55 millimeters and females 15-75 mm. The head is square and green or yellow or brown or black in color. A pair of antennas has a black color. The eyes are large and gray or white or brownish. The hind legs are very large and have a green or yellow or brown or black color, plain or brindle. The limbs have two rows of large and long spines with black tips facing backward. The wings have a length exceeding the belly, a rough surface and are brown or green or yellow or black in color with pulse lines forming spaces filled with black color. The hind wings are rose red which will be visible when flying. Nymphs are pale green or yellow or brown or blackish in color. Javanese gr...

Dlium