Cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica)

Alang-alang or cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica) is a plant species in Poaceae, annual grass, sharp leaf, long buds and scaly, creeping under the ground, very adaptive and grows in all climates which often become weeds on agricultural land.

I. cylindrica has a sharp pointed tip of the bud and emerges from the ground, height of 0.2-1.5 m but in other places it may be more, short stems, rising up to the ground and flowering white or purplish, often with wreath of hair under the segment.

Leaf strands in the form of long ribbons, lancet-tipped with a narrow base and gutter-shaped, 12-80 cm long, very coarse edge and jagged sharply, long hair at the base with broad, pale leaf bones in the middle.

The flowers are panicles, 6-28 cm long with long-haired and white-colored ears for 1 cm which are used as a tool to blow off the fruit when ripe. Cogon grass breeds quickly with seeds that spread quickly with the wind or through rhizomes that quickly penetrate the soil.

Alang-alang does not like to grow in poor, arid and rocky soil, submerged or permanently shaded. This grass is happy with fertile soils, lots of sun or rather shady, damp or dry.

This weed soon gained control of former degraded and open forest land, former fields, dry rice fields, roadside and others. They will grow dominantly and cover large areas. The shoots that grow after a fire are favored by grass-eating animals.

I. cylindrica is used to protect open areas that are easily eroded. Growth speed, underground rhizomes and close leaf cover will provide the needed protection benefits. cogon grass leaves are also often used as mulch to protect the soil on agricultural land.

The leaves which are dried and scraped in bundles are used as roofing material for houses and other buildings. Fine fibers from the panicles of flowers are sometimes used to fill pillows. Rhizomes and roots are used to treat diuretics, fever and others.

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Imperata
Species: I. cylindrica

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Sirih keraton or keraton pepper (Piper bandoro) and a name

Keraton pepper (Piper bandoro) in Indonesia is called Sirih Keraton, this is a rare species and there is no information on taxonomic nomenclature. So I named and entered as a new species.

Sirih keraton (P. bandoro) is different to Piper ornatum and Piper crocatum as the closest species, although they have similarities in other parts. The key differences are the morphology and features of the leaves. You can read the taxonomic nomenclature here: https://www.dlium.com/2020/01/keraton-pepper-piper-bandoro.html

I found keraton pepper at several sites in Menoreh mountains. I first saw at Samigaluh and Kokap in Kulon Progo, this in Yogyakarta Province. Then I found it again at Kaligesing in Purworejo, Central Java Province.

Menoreh mountains have complex landscape, topography is hilly to elevation of 50 m to 1050 m. This is ancient volcano and is routinely fogged on this day. I found Piper bandoro at several sites at height of 300 m to 800 m. You can see on Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/K…

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T. cacao has flowers like other Sterculiaceae members that grow directly from the stem, perfect and single flowers, 3 cm in diameter, but appear in panicles because often a bunch of flowers emerges from a single bud.

The flowers are white and are ready to be pollinated within a few days especially by the Forcipomyia fly, winged ants, aphids and some Trigona bees which usually occur at night. The main pests of this plant are Bactrocera carambolae and Bactrocera papayae.

Cacao trees generally cross-pollinate and have their own incompatibilities, but some varieties are capable of self-pollinating and produce higher-selling commodity types.

The fruit grows from pollinated flowers, has a fruit size much la…

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Enceng gondok or common water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a free-floating perennial aquatic plant species in Pontederiaceae, sometimes rooted in the soil, has no stem and has a high growth rate and easily spreads through waterways in tropical and sub-tropical regions.

E. crassipes has wide, thick, shiny, ovoid leaves that can rise above the surface of water as high as 1 meter. The leaves extend to 10-20 cm on stems that float with a bulb to float above the water surface, long stems, sponges and rounded.

Fibrous roots, free of hanging and purple-black. The upright stalk supports a single flower, most of which is mauve to pink with six petals. Grows in tropical to subtropical deserts or warm temperate desert to the rainforest zone, minimum temperature 12-35C and pH 5.0-7.5.

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Jambu air or water apple (Syzygium aqueum) is a plant species in Myrtaceae, in the form of shrubs with a height of 3-10 m, often has bent and branched stems starting from the base of the tree, sometimes shaking up to 50 cm and growing in the tropics.

S. aqueum has a single leaf located facing each other, having a stem length of 0.5-1.5 cm. Long leaf shaped heart to round oval inverted, has a single bone in the middle, green, 7-25x2.5-16 cm and does not smell aromatic when squeezed.

Flowers in panicles at the tips of branches or appear on the armpits of deciduous leaves, containing 3-7 florets and whitish yellow with a 1 cm long petal tube. The crown is round to triangular, 5-7 mm long, 0.75-2 cm long stamens and 17 mm long pistil stalks.

Bell-shaped fruit with a small base and tip that is very wide and often has a side curve that separates the base of the tip and has a size of 1.5-2x2.5-3.5 cm, curved petals and the outer side is white to red.

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Arrowhead vine (Syngonium podophyllum)

Goosefoot-plant or arrowhead vine (Syngonium podophyllum) is a plant species, having arrow-shaped leaves with three alternating lobes that have size, color and shape that vary with age and variety is Syngonium podophyllum var. albolineatum, Syngonium podophyllum var. oerstedianum and Syngonium podophyllum var. peliocladum.

S. podophyllum grows on the surface or climbs. Widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in many tropical countries and has at least 10 cultivars. The main difference is in the position and extent of the cream or white. Some leaves are almost entirely white, pink or yellow.

Young leaves have a simple and intact shape, a convoluted pulse or a silvery-white center that is bounded by green. Mature leaves are compound in color, dark green, segmented into three leaflets and grow with 5-9 leaflets as they age.

Leaves and stems contain poisonous milk gums. Leaflets are generally dark green at the top and pale green at the bottom. It has 4-11 spadix which grow on leaf axils, …

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