Philippine violet (Barleria cristata)

Philippine violet (Barleria cristata) is a plant species in the Acanthaceae, erect stems up to 2 m high, terete stems, branched, covered with soft trichomes, grows wild on roadsides, slopes, along rivers, xeric vegetation at altitudes of 100-2600 m and many used as an ornamental and medicinal plant.

B. cristata has a petiole for a length of 0.3-1 cm, leaf blade oval to oblong ovate, rounded base, pointed tip, 2-10 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, a bone in the middle, the villi surface especially along the veins, 4-7 secondary veins on each side of the midvein, base cuneate and decurrent to the stalk.

Inflorescences of axillary cymes are short and dense, short pedunculate, variable bracteoles, linear to linear-lanceolate, 2.4-6.5 cm long, 0.5-1.5 cm wide, 3-7 veins, cuneate base, usually spiny edges but sometimes accumulates and becomes spinescent with time and sharp peaks.

The outer petal lobes are ovoid into a narrow ellipse to lanceolate, 1.2-2.5 cm long, 0.5-1.3 cm wide, pilose, reticular vein, spiny edge, apex mucronate. The inner petal lobes are linear to lanceolate, 6-12 mm, 1 veined and margin scarious.

The corolla is purplish blue, 4.5-6.5 cm and the outside is pilose. The tube at the base is a narrow cylinder then gradually widens. The lobes are oval or elliptical and 1.5 cm. Four stamens and didynamous. The filaments accumulate primarily towards the base, a staminode and rarely pilose filaments.

The ovary is ellipsoid and glabrous, the force is linear, 2.5 cm and the stigma is slightly increased. The capsules are 1.2-1.8 cm wide, bare and contain 4 seeds, subglobose to ovate, 4-5 mm long and 4 mm wide.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Lamiales
Family: Acanthaceae
Subfamily: Acanthoideae
Tribe: Barlerieae
Genus: Barleria
Species: Barleria cristata

Mashpi walkingstick (Trychopeplus mashpiensis) from Chocó, Ecuador, based on males, females and eggs

NEWS - Researchers report Mashpi walkingstick ( Trychopeplus mashpiensis Conle, Valero & Hennemann, sp. nov.) from the Chocó ecoregion of northwestern Ecuador is new to science based on its unique body ornamentation and egg structure morphology. Trychopeplus Shelford 1909 is a genus of Neotropical stick insects (Phasmida Leach 1815) known for its remarkable morphological adaptations that allow it to blend in almost perfectly with epiphytic lichens in its habitat. These adaptations make Trychopeplus one of the most cryptic stick insect genera. The genus was described to distinguish the Neotropical species from Pericentrus Redtenbacher 1908 based on morphological differences and distinct geographic distribution compared to the type species Pericentrus moewisi Redtenbacher 1908. Pericentrus is known to be restricted to East and South Asia, whereas Trychopeplus is endemic to the Neotropics. Oskar Conle from the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Germany, Pablo Valero from the Un...

Giant shield bug (Pycanum alternatum)

Giant shield bug or pycanum rubens ( Pycanum alternatum ) is a species of animal in Tessaratomidae, has a large shield covering the back, shiny green-blue-brown colored and appears to have a powder or wax layer, inhabiting the leaves of plants in open forests or bushes . P. alternatum is also called a stink bug because of its ability to release pungent aromas when disturbed. These insects live solitary with a partner and usually the mother gather in a family together in nymphs. White eggs are attached under the leaves of the plant. Nymphs can be found in the same host as their parent. The nymph has a flat rectangular shape with a large vein in the middle like a flat leaf. Nymphs having striking colors are light green, orange and red. Color may represent various stages of development or gender. The initial stage has a small size and red color. It grows in a bigger size and turns orange then ends in green. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Hemipter...

Purwaceng (Pimpinella pruatjan)

Purwaceng or purwoceng or antanan gunung or Viagra of Java ( Pimpinella pruatjan or Pimpinella priatjan ) are small termas growing horizontally in Apiaceae, growing in villages on Dieng Plateau, Central Java Province, Indonesia, at 1,500 to 2,000 meters above sea level, the roots have medicinal properties for aphrodisiacs and are usually processed in powder form for a mixture of coffee or milk. P. pruatjan grows flat on the ground but does not propagate, small leaves are reddish green for 1-3 cm in diameter. This plant is only found in Java and grows in high mountain areas. A low population where industrial demand is very high results in increasingly scarce. Another place that is likely to become a purwaceng habitat is the Iyang Mountains and the Tengger Mountains in East Java Province. Efforts to multiply and cultivate have a big problem where these plants have difficulty producing seeds. In vitro propagation research through tissue cultivation has been carried out to overcome ...

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