Tongue fern (Pyrrosia adnascens)

Pakis lidah or tongue fern (Pyrrosia adnascens) is a plant species in the Polypodiaceae, a long creeping rhizome, up to 1 mm thick, in cross-section usually with a single central sclerenchyma strand, the distance between phyllopodia is 1-2 cm and lateral shoots alternate with phyllopodia.

P. adnascens has peltate scales, 3-5x1 mm, all over the base to the ciliate. Light brown tips, often with distinct hyaline and ciliate margins. Dimorphic midrib. The sterile frond has a stalk of 1-1.5 cm. Lamina 1-6x1-2 cm, cuneate base and rounded tip.

The fertile midrib gradually narrows at the base to the stem for a length of 5 cm. Lamina 8-25-0.45-0.8 cm, blunt tip to acute. Hydathodes appear rarely, few and are not clear. Monomorphic indumen but rarely, whitish to brown in color. Long hair 0.2-1.2 mm. Sori sinks with the central bundle of paraphyses.

Tongue fern grows on the trunks of living trees, dead trees and rocks at an altitude of 0-1300 m. Generally grows in humid areas and can withstand drought for up to 6 months. The whole plant is used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Subclass: Polypodiidae
Order: Polypodiales
Suborder: Polypodiineae
Family: Polypodiaceae
Subfamily: Platycerioideae
Genus: Pyrrosia
Species: Pyrrosia adnascens
Form: Pyrrosia adnascens f. adnascens, Pyrrosia adnascens f. calcicola

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 ...

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