Variegated croton (Codiaeum variegatum)

Puring or variegated croton (Codiaeum variegatum) is a species of plant in Euphorbiaceae, shrubs, evergreen, monoecious, cosmopolitan, leaves have very varied shapes and colors, are widely cultivated as ornamental plants and have hundreds of varieties.

C. variegatum grows to a height of 3 m, large evergreen leaves, thick, leathery, shiny, arranged alternately, 5-30 cm long and 0.5-8 cm wide. Strands can be ribbon, lanceolate, oval, elliptical, inverted ovoid and violin-shaped. Colors can be green, yellow, purple and in various patterns.

The petiole is 0.2-2.5 cm long. The inflorescences are racemes, 8-30 cm long, the male is white with five small petals and 20-30 stamens, the pollen is oval and 52x32 microns in size. The female flowers are yellowish. The fruit is a capsule, 9 mm in diameter, three seeds with a diameter of 6 mm.

Several hundred cultivars are selected and bred for foliage. Milk sap can cause eczema in some people. The bark, roots, sap and leaves are poisonous. The toxin is the chemical compound 5-deoxyingenol. This plant contains oil and is suspected as a carcinogen.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Subfamily: Crotonoideae
Tribe: Codiaeae
Subtribe: Codiaeinae
Genus: Codiaeum
Species: Codiaeum variegatum
Forms and varieties: Codiaeum variegatum f. angustifolium, Codiaeum variegatum var. cavernicola, Codiaeum variegatum f. crispum, Codiaeum variegatum var. genuinum, Codiaeum variegatum var. moluccanum, Variegated Croton Codiaeum variegatum var. pictum

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 ...

Javan mocca or Javan slender caesar (Amanita javanica)

OPINION - Javan mocca or Javan slender caesar ( Amanita javanica ) is a mysterious fungus species and has been enigmatic since it was first reported by Boedijn in 1951 and after that no explanation or reporting of specimens is believed to be the same as expected. Boedijn (1951) described A. javanica which grew on Java island as having the characteristics covered in the Amanita genus. Corner and Bas in 1962 tried to describe Javan mocca and all species in Amanita based on specimens in Singapore. Over time some reports say that they have found A. javanica specimens in other Southeast Asia including also China, Japan, India and Nepal. But there is no definitive knowledge and many doubt whether the specimen is the same as described by Boedijn (1951). I was fortunate to have seen this species one afternoon and soon I took out a camera for some shots. In fact, I've only met this mushroom species once. Javan mocca is an endangered species and I have never seen in my experience in...

Rukam (Flacourtia rukam)

Rukam or rukem ( Flacourtia rukam ) is a species of plant in the Salicaceae, a tree with a height of up to 15 meters, cylindrical stem, sometimes having thorns, the hard wood, bark is light brown, the fruit is round, fleshy and has a sour or astringent taste. F. rukam has red to brown young leaves and dark green old leaves. Mature leaves are slightly oval in shape with a serrated edge, up to 31 cm long, up to 14 cm wide and with a conical tip. Male flowers and female flowers are yellow-green and grow in the leaf axils. The fruit is round, up to 3 cm and yellow or green or red or purple, has whitish flesh, contains a lot of water and has a sweet-sour taste. The fruit is eaten directly or processed into jam, jelly and sweets. Rukam fruit can also be used as an addition to salads and side dishes. Young fruit contains tannins which are used to treat diarrhea and dysentery. The juice of the leaves is used to treat eye irritation. The root is consumed by women after giving birth. Strong a...

Dlium