Spiderwort (Commelinaceae)

Spiderwort (Commelinaceae) is a family of plants in the Commelinales, flowering with about 731 species in 41 genera, have morphological variations, especially inflorescences which are very high among angiosperms, well-developed stems and often swollen at the internodes, short-lived flowers and widely cultivated as ornamental plants.

Commelinaceae usually perennials but a small number of species are annuals, terrestrial except for plants in the genus Cochliostema which are epiphytes. Upright and often spreading by rooting on internodes or stolons. Some have rhizomes and climbers. Roots are fibrous or tuber-shaped.

The leaves form a midrib at the base and surround the stem. The leaves are alternate on the stem and may be two-tiered or spirally arranged. The leaf blades are simple and intact, sometimes narrowing at the base and often watery.

Inflorescences on the terminal shoots on the top of the plant or on the terminal shoots and axillary of the lower internodes. Flowers are usually all bisexual, but some species are andromonoecious, gynomonoecious and polygamomonoecious.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Commelinales
Family: Commelinaceae

Javan broadhead planarian (Bipalium javanum)

Cacing palu or Javan broadhead planarian ( Bipalium javanum ) is a species of animal in Geoplanidae, hermaphrodite, living on the ground, predators, often called only hammerhead or broadhead or shovel worms because of wide heads and simple copulatory organs. B. javanum has a slim stature, up to 20 cm long, up to 0.5 cm wide, head wide up to 1 cm or less, small neck, widening in the middle and the back end is rounded, all black and shiny. Javan broadhead planarians walk above ground level by raising their heads and actively looking left, right and looking up using strong neck muscles. Move swiftly, track meander, climb to get through all obstacles or make a new path if the obstacle is too high. Cacing palu track and prey on earthworms and mollusks. They use muscles and sticky secretions to attach themselves to prey to lock in. The head and ends of the body are wrapped around and continue to close the body to stop prey reactions. They produce tetrodotoxins which are very strong...

Thomas Sutikna lives with Homo floresiensis

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