White dotted greenbrier (Smilax leucophylla)

Canar or white dotted greenbrier (Smilax leucophylla) is a species of plant in the Smilacaceae, climbing plants, stems have tendrils, dark green stems, cylindrical stems and red or brown stiff spines.

S. leucophylla has oval-shaped leaves extending to oval wide, sitting alternately, 10-32 cm long and 4-22 cm wide. Leaves have 3-5 veins. The upper side surface is dark green, glossy and white spots.

Flowers appear in the leaf axils. Male flowers are pale white or greenish yellow or brown. The fruit is round, red and black when ripe and stemmed. Seeds are round, located in the middle of the fruit and 1-6 seeds.

Canar grows in dry to moist soil in jungles, river banks to ravines and adapts to a pH of 4-6.2. The plant is used as rheumatism, syphilis, ulcers, menstrual disorders, hemorrhoids, swelling due to sprains, antiseptic, antibacterial, stomachache and antidote.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Liliales
Family: Smilacaceae
Genus: Smilax
Species: Smilax leucophylla

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 ...

Bellyache bush (Jatropha gossypiifolia)

Bellyache bush ( Jatropha gossypiifolia ) is a species of plant in the Euphorbiaceae. It is a shrub, growing 2.5–4 meters tall. The leaves are three-lobed, up to 13 cm long and 13 cm wide, sticky, with spiny margins, purple when young and green as they mature. The petioles are up to 9 cm long, dark red to brown, and have yellow spikes. The flowers are small, fan-shaped, dark red with yellow centers. The fruit is ovoid; young fruits are green. Older fruits are brown, dry, and burst to release the seeds. Taxon: Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malpighiales Family: Euphorbiaceae Subfamily: Crotonoideae Tribe: Jatropheae Genus: Jatropha Species: Jatropha gossypiifolia Variety: Jatropha gossypiifolia var. elegans, Jatropha gossypiifolia var. gossypiifolia Publications: Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers. Balakrishnan, N.P. & Cha...

Red lip (Syzygium myrtifolium)

Pucuk merah or daun pucuk merah or red-lip ( Syzygium myrtifolium ) is a plant species in the Myrtaceae, a medium tree with a cylindrical trunk and produces cambium, up to 5 meters high, bark rough and light brown, many branches and strong roots. S. myrtifolium has oval-shaped leaves, pointed tip and base, up to 7 cm long, up to 2 cm wide, a vein in the middle, flat margins, shiny surface, bright red leaf buds and will turn green over time. The flowers are compound and arranged in panicles. The flowers bloom with a stigma in the center and are white. The fruit is round and up to 1 cm in diameter, the middle of the upper surface has a depression and is shiny black when ripe. This species grows in forests, agricultural land, roadsides and abandoned lands. This tree has a root structure that goes deep into the ground and is sturdy so it is often used to rehabilitate land, prevent landslides and store water reserves. This tree has a greater ability to absorb CO2 than other types of plan...

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