Umbrella papyrus (Cyperus alternifolius)

Rumput payung or umbrella papyrus or Madagascar umbrella papyrus (Cyperus alternifolius) is a plant species in Cyperaceae, like a very large grass, umbrella-shaped canopy, grows in dry soil and waterlogged, often cultivated as an ornamental plant throughout the world.

C. alternifolius grows to form clumps, has a height of 1-2 m and the top part is composed of protective leaves that shade the flower arrangements. The stem is hollow, unbranched, long, tubular with many linear angles, dark green, hard and sturdy but flexible.

The leaves are arranged radially, stacked and each stem has 10-25 strands. A large bone and several veins are parallel to a length of 15-40 cm and a width of 1.3 cm, a jagged edge, a pointed tip, a rough surface and green.

Spikelet flowers, forming clusters, have long and green stems, crowns shaped in coarse grains, sit on the ends of the stems, greenish brown and come out of the axil bractea or the sides of the bractea.

Umbrella papyrus is widely used for phytoremidiation in wet and humid regions. This species is able to tolerate PhACs (Pharmaceutically Active Compounds) and eliminate COD, nitrate, ammonia and phosphorus. The root is used as an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial.

Widely used as ornamental plants, potted plants and garden plants or pond plants. Generally used as a water ornamental plant and planted to beautify a pond or water park landscape. The leaves are also used as fillers for flower arrangements.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Subfamily: Cyperoideae
Tribe: Cypereae
Genus: Cyperus
Species: Cyperus alternifolius
Subspecies: Cyperus alternifolius ssp. alternifolius, Cyperus alternifolius ssp. flabelliformis

Pohpohan (Pilea melastomoides)

Pohpohan clearweed ( Pilea melastomoides ) is a species of plant in the Urticaceae, herbaceous perennial, erect stems, up to 100 cm tall, succulent, square or cylindrical, enlarged in the middle of the internodes, bright green in color and forming colonies in the shade. P. melastomoides has stipules that are immediately deciduous or subpersistent, green or brownish and oblong. The stalk is 2-9 cm long. The leaf blade is ovate or ovate-elliptic or oblong-lanceolate. The surface is wavy, pale green on the underside, dark green on the top. The three main veins are central and linear. Rounded base, tapered ends and serrated edges. The inflorescences are paired, the male is a dense cyme paniculata. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Rosales Family: Urticaceae Genus: Pilea Species: Pilea melastomoides

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 ...

Petai (Parkia speciosa)

Stink bean or bitter bean or pete or petai ( Parkia speciosa ) is a tropical tree species in Fabaceae, 5-25 m high and branched, reddish brown bark, always green, compound and pinnate leaves, young seeds are harvested as fresh or boiled food . P. speciosa has a hump-shaped flower that hangs with a long stalk, usually appearing near the tips of the branches. Flowers that are young and not yet blooming are green, mature flowers have stamens and pistils, old flowers turn yellow and are large in size. Dozens of long, flat pod-shaped fruits emerge from a flower hump hanging from a tree. Each pod has up to 10-20 seeds that are neatly arranged, green when young and wrapped in a rather thick membrane of light brown. The fruit dries and becomes harder as it ripens and releases the seeds. Petai grows well in wet and slightly wet climates, low land to mountains with an altitude of 1,500 m, open spaces and lots of sun throughout the day with fine-tinted soil and Ph 5.5-6.5. Trees start bea...

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