Crêpe ginger (Hellenia speciosa)

Pacing tawar or crêpe ginger or Cheilocostus speciosus (Hellenia speciosa) is a plant species in Costaceae that grows upright for height of 0.5 meters to 3 meters, has a large flower, likes damp and shade in primary forests, secondary forests and teak forests on lowlands up to 1050 meters above sea level.

C. speciosa has a brownish yellow stem, the size of an adult's finger, contains a lot of water and is easily broken. The plants go upward in harmony with the tops, the leaves are green, single, short stalks and the strands extend to the lanceolate shape and are arranged in a spiral circle around the stem.

Tapered leaf tips, flat edges and blunt leaf base. The surface of the lower leaves is soft, while the upper surface is grooved. Large-sized inflorescence located at the end of the stem. Flowers are white or yellow. Egg-shaped protective leaves with pointed ends. The crown is tubular, pointed tip and green.

The pistil pops up on the starch and is white. The fruit is ovoid and red. Hard seeds, small and black. Rhizomes and seeds contain diosgenin (sapogenin steroid), tigogenin, diosin, grasillin, sitosterol and methyltryacontan. Also contains saponins, flavonoids and tannins.

Traditional Javanese treatment uses to treat swelling in the kidneys (Nephtiric edema), stomach ulcers, urinary tract infections (urinary tractus) and liver shrinkage (chirosis). All parts are used as external medicine for wounds from being bitten by snakes and insects.

Leaves are used as a medicine for eye mucous inflammation. Young leaves to nourish hair. The stem is used as a medicine for fever and dysentery. Pith stems to cool the eyes in people with smallpox.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Costaceae
Genus: Hellenia
Species: Hellenia speciosa

Molucca albizia (Falcataria moluccana)

Sengon laut or Molucca albizia ( Falcataria moluccana ) is a species of wood-producing trees in Fabaceae, claimed to have the fastest growth in the world with the addition of a height of 7 m/year, producing white light wood for light construction, packing crates, particle boards and blockboards. F. moluccana has a height of 40 m and a diameter of 100 cm or more, the main stem is generally straight and cylindrical with clear bole up to 20 m. The bark is gray or whitish, smooth or slightly warted with a line of lenticels. Shady canopy, umbrella-shaped and tenuous. Young twigs have sides and hair. Double pinnate compound leaves, small minor leaves, easily fall out with one or more glands on the stem and length 23-30 cm. Leaf fins number 6-20 pairs, each containing 6-26 pairs of elliptical or elongated minor leaves with a very tilted, pointed tip, 0.6-1.8x0.5 cm. Small flowers, yellowish white, hairy, androgynous, collected in branched panicles, 10-25 cm long and located in the arm...

Six new species forming the Sumbana species group in genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg 1798 from Indonesia

NEWS - Sumbawa longhorn ( Nemophora sumbana Kozlov, sp. nov.), Timor longhorn ( Nemophora timorella Kozlov, sp. nov.), shining shade longhorn ( Nemophora umbronitidella Kozlov, sp. nov.), Wegner longhorn ( Nemophora wegneri Kozlov, sp. nov.), long brush longhorn ( Nemophora longipeniculella Kozlov, sp. nov.), and short brush longhorn ( Nemophora brevipeniculella Kozlov, sp. nov.) from the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia. The Lesser Sunda Islands consist of two parallel, linear oceanic island chains, including Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Sawu, Timor, Alor, and Tanimbar. The oldest of these islands have been continuously occurring for 10–12 million years. This long period of isolation has allowed significant in situ diversification, making the Lesser Sundas home to many endemic species. This island chain may act as a two-way filter for organisms migrating between the world's two great biogeographic regions, Asia and Australia-Papua. The recognition of a striking cli...

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Nusa Indah or Queen of Philippines ( Mussaenda philippica ) is a plant species in the Rubiaceae, a shrub or small tree, fibrous roots and yellowish white, cylindrical stems, many branches, rough and brown bark. M. philippica has leaves that sit opposite and alternate, ovate, 5-15 cm long, 4-8 cm wide, tapered tip and base, smooth hair, pinnate veins, flat margin, green upper side and lower side whitish green. Compound flowers, appears at the end of the stalk, umbrella-shaped bouquets, small trumpet-shaped flowers, 1 cm and yellow. Seeds riding, lancet-shaped and yellow-brown. This species grows at elevations of 1-1700 meters. This plant flowers in summer. This plant contains β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, arjunolic acid, alkaloids, isoquercitrin flavonoids, triterpenoid saponins (mussaendoside F), iridoid compounds, heinsiagenin A. Often used to treat flu, fever, cough, tonsillitis, sore throat, wounds, boils, prevent and treat breast cancer. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Sub...

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