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

Six new species forming the Sumbana species group in genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg 1798 from Indonesia

NEWS - Sumbawa longhorn ( Nemophora sumbana Kozlov, sp. nov.), Timor longhorn ( Nemophora timorella Kozlov, sp. nov.), shining shade longhorn ( Nemophora umbronitidella Kozlov, sp. nov.), Wegner longhorn ( Nemophora wegneri Kozlov, sp. nov.), long brush longhorn ( Nemophora longipeniculella Kozlov, sp. nov.), and short brush longhorn ( Nemophora brevipeniculella Kozlov, sp. nov.) from the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia. The Lesser Sunda Islands consist of two parallel, linear oceanic island chains, including Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Sawu, Timor, Alor, and Tanimbar. The oldest of these islands have been continuously occurring for 10–12 million years. This long period of isolation has allowed significant in situ diversification, making the Lesser Sundas home to many endemic species. This island chain may act as a two-way filter for organisms migrating between the world's two great biogeographic regions, Asia and Australia-Papua. The recognition of a striking cli...

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Kepik emas or golden tortoise beetle ( Charidotella sexpunctata ) is a type of leaf beetle species in the Chrysomelidae family, up to 14mm long and bright golden in glass discs. These insects usually live on Ipomoea carnea trees that grow in environments close to water. C. sexpunctata takes refuge in a transparent disc consisting of three parts with four signs as fals legs, a pair of antennas and six legs. This beetle is able to change color if it feels threatened by flowing liquid between the cuticles and the glittering gold color turns into blood red or worn brown. Kepik emas usually lay eggs up to 20 items, white and attached to the branches or on the underside of the leaves. Yellowish or reddish brown larvae will appear from eggs that hatch within 5 to 10 days. Adults and larvae eat leaves which cause large holes. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Family: Chrysomelidae Subfamily: Cassidinae Tribe: Aspidimorphini Genus: Aspidimor...

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Sembung rambat or bitter vine ( Mikania micrantha ) is a plant species in Asteraceae, crawling or wrapped around trees, perennial that grows up to 27 mm per day in tropical climates, branched stems where heart-shaped or triangular leaves are arranged in pairs and a plant can cover more than 25 square meters in a few months. M. micrantha has square-shaped stems or longitudinal bones, light green, many branches and has fine hairs. The stems have segments for lengths of 75-215 mm, each segment has a pair of leaves, new shoots and flowers. New roots grow when the segments come in contact with the soil. The leaves are in pairs and facing each other. Strands do not have hair, heart-shaped or triangular with jagged edges, length 30-125 mm, width 15-60 mm. Petiole is 1-6 cm long and has fine hairs. The flower panicle grows from the armpit of the leaf and the tip of the stem, having 3-15 mm long stems. Each flower head has 4 minor flowers. The crown is greenish-white, tubular and measures ...

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