Common sun skink (Eutropis multifasciata)

Kadal kebun or bengkarung or Mabuya multifasciata or common sun skink (Eutropis multifasciata) is a species of lizard in Scincidae, has a pattern of faint lines extending to the sides of the body, measuring 18 to 22 cm in length with a tail length of about 60% of the overall body and more many live on the ground.

E. multifasciata has a sharp head with a very short neck and a square cross section. The upper part is dark brown or shiny grayish brown with a golden body side especially near the neck. Sometimes also decorated with small pale spots on the back.

The lower neck is light brown and the abdomen to the anus is pale brown. The muzzle is reddish, the tail is the same color as the body, decorated with a faint dark line on the sides. The arms are also the same color as the upper body.

Common sun skinks usually live on the edge of forests, gardens, rice fields and human settlements. They spend most of their time on the ground, usually in crevices and rocky cliffs as a place to live and to find prey.

Kadal kebun prey on small insects, worms, spiders, larvae and sometimes other smaller reptiles. They are also often seen climbing trees in the morning to loot bird nests and eat eggs when left by their mothers. Also love chunks of vegetables and fruits.

E. multifasciata defends itself by deciding the tail that can move autotomically to distract the intruder, while they will run to save themselves.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Eutropis
Species: E. multifasciata

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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…

Cacao tree (Theobroma cacao)

Kakao or cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) is a perennial plant species in Malvaceae in the tropics, in the form of a tree 10 m high but in cultivation it will be limited to only 5 m to expand the canopy and multiply branches so that more fruit grows where the seeds are processed as chocolate.

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…

Common water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

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.

Azotobacter chroococcum as a nitrogen-fixing bacterium is concentrated around the base of the petiole, but does not repair nitrogen unless the plant suffers from extreme nitrogen deficiency. Fresh plants contain…

Water apple (Syzygium aqueum)

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.

The fruit contains white solid fibers, a l…

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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