Abelmosk (Abelmoschus moschatus)

Kapasan or abelmosk (Abelmoschus moschatus) is a plant species in Malvaceae, annual shrubs, 3.5 meters high, woody stems, round, erect, monopodial branches, green or brownish green, sharp hairs like thorns and three subspecies.

A. moschatus has a single leaf, large or narrow rectangular, 6-22 cm long, 5-20 cm wide, divided into 3-5 lobed, a bone in the middle, several pinnate pulses, a heart-shaped base, taper tips, edges jagged or flat, rough surface, green, hair and stem length of 5-10 cm.

A single flower, bell-shaped, grows on the armpits of leaves, petals 2-3 cm and triangular in shape, haired, the tip has 5 paces and is green. Tubular stamens, anthers loose and yellow. The crown is divided by five strands, 3.5-10 cm long and yellow in color.

The fruit is long box-shaped, has five corners, sharp edges, sharp hair, green and ripe blackish brown. Kidney-shaped seeds, flat, curved, hard and blackish brown. Single root, round, branched and yellowish white.

Abelmosk grows wild in open places, empty land, abandoned land or scattered in gardens and roadside at altitudes up to 650 m. Seeds, leaves and roots contain saponins and flavonoids. Leaves and seeds also contain tannins.

The seeds produce castor oil for a cosmetic mixture, liniment and an itchy powder mixture. The plant is also used as an anti-pyretic, bladder, anti-inflammatory and pus removal.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Subfamily: Malvoideae
Tribe: Hibisceae
Genus: Abelmoschus
Species: Abelmoschus moschatus
Subspecies: Abelmoschus moschatus ssp. moschatus, Abelmoschus moschatus ssp. tuberosus, Abelmoschus moschatus ssp. biakensis

Black potato (Coleus rotundifolius)

Black potato ( Coleus rotundifolius ) is a species of plant in Lamiaceae, herbaceous, fibrous roots and tubers, erect and slightly creeping stems, quadrangular, thick, and slightly odorous. Single leaves, thick, membranous, opposite and alternate. Leaves are oval, dark green and shiny on the upper side, bright green on the lower side. Up to 5 cm long, up to 4 cm wide, slightly hairy and pinnate leaf veins. Leaf stalks up to 4 cm long. Small, purple flowers. Star-shaped petals, lip-shaped crown, dark to light purple with a slightly curved tube shape. Flowering from February-August. Small tubers, brown and white flesh and tuber length 2-4 cm. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Subfamily: Nepetoideae Tribe: Ocimeae Subtribe: Plectranthinae Genus: Coleus Species: Coleus rotundifolius

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 ...

Matchbox bean (Entada phaseoloides)

Matchbox Bean ( Entada phaseoloides ) is a species in the Fabaceae family, a large woody liana with stems up to 18 cm in diameter, dark brown, rough bark, laterally flattened, and spirally twisted. The leaves are bipinnate, up to 25 cm long, with 1-2 pairs of minor leaflets, each divided into 1-2 pairs of pinnules. The pinnules are somewhat leathery, asymmetrical or oblique, up to 10 cm long and 5 cm wide. The inflorescence is a spike-shaped, about 25-30 cm long, bearing numerous sessile flowers. The individual flowers are very small, about 1.2 mm in diameter. The five petals, green with reddish bases, are 3-4 mm long, and the stamens are about 7 mm long. The fruit is a very large, flattened, woody pod or capsule, about 1-1.2 m long and 12 cm wide. It is usually slightly curved and linear, with about 12 segments, each containing a single seed. The seeds are lens-shaped, shiny brown, smooth, 5-6 cm wide and 1-1.5 cm thick. Filipinos used gugo before commercial shampoos were available ...

Dlium