Tampis (Xiphidium caeruleum)

Tampis (Xiphidium caeruleum) is a plant species in Haemodoraceae, herbaceous perennial, up to 100 cm high, rhizome propagates or collapses which progressively erect into stems, leaves widen to form fans and grow in semi-shady places.

X. caeruleum has leaves that are shiny, green, rippled texture, linear like a sword with a length of 20-50 cm, flattened and arranged overlapping at the base to half of the leaf so that it looks like a fan, parallel threads and young leaves sometimes have soft spines.

Flower buds grow on the tip of an erect panicle, egg-shaped, yellow-brown and will turn white. The blooms are white, small bell-shaped and have 6 sepals. The stamens are yellow and the pistil is white.

Flowers bloom at the end of the rainy season and the change of seasons. Inflorescence arises from the middle of the top leaves, branches to more than 20 branches. Each branch contains up to 25 buds that bloom alternately.

Pollination is assisted by ants, bees or birds. Young fruits are green then red and eventually turn brown to dry out. Reproduction using seeds or the base of rhizomes and flower stalks that produce shoots.

Tampis grows to form an abundant population in forests, lakeside, river banks, roadsides and open areas with partial shade and sun exposure for several hours. Often used to treat worm infections and ornamental plants in pots.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Commelinales
Family: Haemodoraceae
Genus: Xiphidium
Species: Xiphidium caeruleum

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

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Wild durian ( Cullenia exarillata ) is a species of plant in the Malvaceae, a tall tree with smooth, greyish-white bark, peeling on older trees, a straight trunk, horizontal branches and often with a series of knob-like tubercles for flower and fruit attachment. C. exarillata has young branches and the underside of the leaves is covered with golden brown peltate or shield-like scales. The leaves are single, alternate, glabrous, glossy green on the upper side and covered with silvery or orange peltate scales on the underside. Hermaphroditic flowers are tubular and also covered with golden brown scales, 4-5 cm long and cream or reddish brown in color. Flowers have no petals, formed of tubular bracteoles and tubular calyxes, 5-lobed. Fruit is round, 10-13 cm in diameter, covered with thorns and clustered along the branches. Many seeds, reddish brown, 4-5 cm long and 2-3 cm wide. The seeds are enclosed by a fleshy, whitish aril. The fruit splits open when ripe and dries to release the s...

Thomas Sutikna lives with Homo floresiensis

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