Paperbark (Melaleuca leucadendra)

Kayuputih or broad leaved paperbark or long-leaved paperbark or white paperbark (Melaleuca leucadendra) is a species of plant in the Myrtaceae, a large tree, growing to more than 20 meters long, branching, trunk covered with thick bark, white, papery, peeling, flowering almost any time of the year.

M. leucadendra has young leaves and branches covered with fine, short hairs, white when young but glabrous when mature. The leaves are alternately arranged, 75-270 mm long, 6.5-40 mm wide, flat, narrow round or lance-shaped, often curved or sickle-shaped, pointed tip and 5-9 veins.

The flowers are spike-shaped, white or cream or greenish at the tips of the branches that continue to grow after flowering, sometimes on the sides of the branches or in the axils of the upper leaves. Each spike is up to 35 mm in diameter, up to 80 mm long and contains 7-22 flower clusters in three sections.

The petals are 3-4 mm wide and fall off as soon as the flowers open. The stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flower and each bundle contains 5-12 stamens. The fruit is capsule-shaped, woody, 3.9-4.9 mm long, in loose clusters along the stem.

The bark is used to build waterproof huts, wrap food before it is cooked in the oven, wrap dead bodies. Very large tree trunks are used to make canoes. The leaves are used to treat respiratory tract infections. Flowers for making sweet drinks.

Various essential oils can be distilled. The two most common chemotypes are based on methyl eugenol and E-methyl isoeugenol.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Subfamily: Myrtoideae
Tribe: Melaleuceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species: Melaleuca leucadendra

A deep-sea isopod Bathyopsurus nybelini adapted to feed submerged Sargassum algae

NEWS - Incredible footage shows a marine species, Bathyopsurus nybelini , feeding on something that sinks from the ocean’s surface. Researchers using the submersible Alvin found the isopod swimming 3.7 miles down using its paddle-like legs to catch an unexpected food source: Sargassum. Researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the University of Montana, SUNY Geneseo, Willamette University and the University of Rhode Island found the algae sinking, while the isopod waited and adapted specifically to find and feed on the sinking nutrient source. The Sargassum lives on the surface for photosynthesis. The discovery of a deep-sea animal that relies on food that sinks from the waters miles above underscores the close relationship between the surface and the deep. “It’s fascinating to see this beautiful animal actively interacting with sargassum, so deep in the ocean. This isopod is extremely rare; only a handful of specimens were collected during the groundbreaking Swedis...

Black jumping spider (Hyllus diardi)

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Hairy senna (Senna hirsuta)

Hairy senna ( Senna hirsuta ) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae family. It is an upright shrub, growing up to 2.5 meters tall. The leaves are compound on petioles up to 13 cm long. They usually have 2-6 pairs of leaflets, are egg-shaped, and have white hairs, up to 10 cm long and 5 cm wide. The flowers are yellow and arranged at the tips of branches and in the upper leaf axils in clusters of 2-5. The petals are 12-16 mm long, have 6 stamens, 3-8 mm long anthers, and 4 staminodes. Flowering occurs almost monthly. The pods are cylindrical, up to 15 cm long, 4-6 mm wide, and curved. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae Tribe: Cassieae Subtribe: Cassiinae Genus: Senna Mill. in Gard. Dict. Abr., ed. 4.: [s.p.] (1754) Species: Senna hirsuta (L.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby in Phytologia 44: 499 (1979) Variety: Senna hirsuta var. acuminata (Benth.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby, Senna ...

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