Tiger grass (Thysanolaena maxima)

Tiger grass (Thysanolaena maxima) is a species of plant in Poaceae, large and perennial grass, growing in dense clumps, morphology similar to bamboo but smaller in stems, the shoots have a white flour coating forming tiger-like stripes, flowers collected and used to make brooms.

T. maxima has an upright trunk and tends to be curved, up to 3 meters high, hard, has segments, has no branches and is dark green-black in color. The reed is solid, dense and not hollow. Ligules are membranous, 1-2 mm long and hairless.

The leaf blade is lanceolate-oblong and wide, stiff, up to 60 cm long, up to 10 cm wide, rounded base, sharp tip, a bone in the middle, the upper surface is dark green and rough, the lower surface is pale green and a horizontal mark forms mold in the middle.

The flowers are collected in large panicles at the end of the stem as terminals, 30-60 cm wide, 15-30 cm long. Each node has a branch, the wick has short hair, the bottom is free of spikelets, the lowest branch is up to 30 cm, the stalk is 2 mm. Single or paired spikelet and 1.5-1.8 mm. Kariopsis oblong and 0.5 mm.

Tiger grass grows in clusters or associations with clusters of trees or bamboo forests on hilly slopes, cliffs between rocks, bushes, forest edges, grasslands and riverbanks in tropical areas at an altitude of 1000 m.

Rumput awis is used to resist erosion and prevent landslides. It is planted for fences and ornamental plants. The young leaves are used as a mixture of animal feed and panicles are used in making brooms.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Panicoideae
Tribe: Thysanolaeneae
Genus: Thysanolaena
Species: Thysanolaena maxima

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 ...

Tanglehead (Heteropogon contortus)

Tanglehead ( Heteropogon contortus ) is a species of Poaceae, an erect grass, up to 65 cm tall, with leaves up to 13 cm long and 0.5 cm wide. The inflorescence is at the top and hairy. The tip is black. This plant forms dense colonies in forests, agricultural lands, roadsides, and abandoned areas. TAXON : Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Liliopsida Order: Poales Family: Poaceae Subfamily: Panicoideae Tribe: Andropogoneae Subtribe: Anthistiriinae Genus: Heteropogon Pers. in Syn. Pl. 2: 533 (1807) Species: Heteropogon contortus (L.) P.Beauv. in J.J.Roemer & J.A.Schultes, Syst. Veg., ed. 15[bis]. 2: 836 (1817) HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS : Andropogon contortus L. in Sp. Pl.: 1045 (1753) Heteropogon contortus var. hirtus Hack. in C.F.P.von Martius & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Bras. 2(3): 267 (1883) Heteropogon hirtus Pers. (1807) Holcus contortus (L.) Stuck. in Anales Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires, ser. 3, 4: 48 (1904) Sorghum contortum (L.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. ...

Cockspur coral tree (Erythrina crista-galli)

Velvet coral tree or cockspur coral tree ( Erythrina crista-galli ) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae family. It is a small tree, 5-8 meters tall, with a trunk circumference of about 50 cm, irregular branches, light wood, and fissured, soft, and light brown bark. The taproot is white. The leaves are ovate, with three strands, dark green and glossy on the upper surface, and pale green on the underside. The central lobe is up to 17 cm long and up to 11 cm wide. The left and right lobes are up to 15 cm long and up to 10 cm wide. The flowers are red, arranged in racemes, at the apex, pentameric, complete, and bilaterally symmetrical. The flowers are up to 6 cm long and 4 cm wide. The pods are long, containing about 8 seeds, green when young and turning brown as they mature. The seeds are ovate, flat, and brown. It grows well in lowlands up to an elevation of 1,500 meters, with an annual rainfall of 800-1,500 mm/year, and a temperature of 20-32°C. It thrives in well-drained soils, but...

Dlium