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

Black potato (Coleus rotundifolius)

Black potato ( Coleus rotundifolius ) is a species of plant in Lamiaceae, herbaceous, fibrous roots and tubers, erect and slightly creeping stems, quadrangular, thick, and slightly odorous. Single leaves, thick, membranous, opposite and alternate. Leaves are oval, dark green and shiny on the upper side, bright green on the lower side. Up to 5 cm long, up to 4 cm wide, slightly hairy and pinnate leaf veins. Leaf stalks up to 4 cm long. Small, purple flowers. Star-shaped petals, lip-shaped crown, dark to light purple with a slightly curved tube shape. Flowering from February-August. Small tubers, brown and white flesh and tuber length 2-4 cm. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Subfamily: Nepetoideae Tribe: Ocimeae Subtribe: Plectranthinae Genus: Coleus Species: Coleus rotundifolius

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 ...

Purwaceng (Pimpinella pruatjan)

Purwaceng or purwoceng or antanan gunung or Viagra of Java ( Pimpinella pruatjan or Pimpinella priatjan ) are small termas growing horizontally in Apiaceae, growing in villages on Dieng Plateau, Central Java Province, Indonesia, at 1,500 to 2,000 meters above sea level, the roots have medicinal properties for aphrodisiacs and are usually processed in powder form for a mixture of coffee or milk. P. pruatjan grows flat on the ground but does not propagate, small leaves are reddish green for 1-3 cm in diameter. This plant is only found in Java and grows in high mountain areas. A low population where industrial demand is very high results in increasingly scarce. Another place that is likely to become a purwaceng habitat is the Iyang Mountains and the Tengger Mountains in East Java Province. Efforts to multiply and cultivate have a big problem where these plants have difficulty producing seeds. In vitro propagation research through tissue cultivation has been carried out to overcome ...

Dlium