Malabar melastome (Melastoma malabathricum)

Senggani or malabar melastome (Melastoma malabathricum) is a plant species in Melastomataceae, shrubs, 0.5-5 m tall, woody stems, sympodial branches and reddish brown, scaly young branches or tightly haired, taproots and brown, widely used for materials ink and medicine.

M. malabathricum has single and stemmed leaves, oval, 2-20 cm long, 1-8 cm wide, tapered, flat edges, rough and hairy surface, upper surface dark green and bright green underside. A straight bone in the middle and two curved bones on the edge.

Malabar melastome blooms throughout the year, compound, clustered at the tips of branches and light purple, 3-4 cm in diameter, sticky petals, hair, short end, tapered tip, scaly protective leaves and reddish purple.

The flower has 8-12 stamens, 3 cm long, pink, a pistil, potted green potted head and ovaries have 4-6 spaces. Five crowns, ovoid and bright purple.

The fruit has a rough skin, dark red and has many black seeds with aryl, cup-shaped and 8 mm long. Ripe fruit has a broken skin, mesocarp bright purple and sweet.

Two subspecies: Melastoma malabathricum ssp. malabathricum and Melastoma malabathricum ssp. normale. Senggani grows wild in open land with lots of sun and shelter, dry or moist soil, forest edges, shrubs, cliff edges and vertical slopes, altitude up to 2200 m.

The extract is used for analgesic substances as a painkiller, bladder, relieves swelling and stops bleeding. The extract is also used for the natural ink industry for purple color.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Myrtales
Family: Melastomataceae
Subfamily: Melastomatoideae
Tribe: Melastomeae
Genus: Melastoma
Species: Melastoma malabathricum
Subspecies: Melastoma malabathricum ssp. malabathricum and Melastoma malabathricum ssp. normale

A deep-sea isopod Bathyopsurus nybelini adapted to feed submerged Sargassum algae

NEWS - Incredible footage shows a marine species, Bathyopsurus nybelini , feeding on something that sinks from the ocean’s surface. Researchers using the submersible Alvin found the isopod swimming 3.7 miles down using its paddle-like legs to catch an unexpected food source: Sargassum. Researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the University of Montana, SUNY Geneseo, Willamette University and the University of Rhode Island found the algae sinking, while the isopod waited and adapted specifically to find and feed on the sinking nutrient source. The Sargassum lives on the surface for photosynthesis. The discovery of a deep-sea animal that relies on food that sinks from the waters miles above underscores the close relationship between the surface and the deep. “It’s fascinating to see this beautiful animal actively interacting with sargassum, so deep in the ocean. This isopod is extremely rare; only a handful of specimens were collected during the groundbreaking Swedis...

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