Garden nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

Garden nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) is a species of plant in the Tropaeolaceae, herbaceous, short and branched roots, creeping and fragile stems, pale green or reddish in color, glabrous, succulent, soft and winding.

T. majus has green or greyish green leaves, stems 5-30 cm long and peltate. The leaves are 4-15 cm wide, orbicular in shape with flat, wavy or slightly lobed edges, glabrous and have many radial veins.

Hermaphroditic flowers, resembling small trumpets, 2.5-7 cm wide, yellow or orange or red, 5 sepals 1-2 cm long fused at the base. One of the nectar-bearing sepals is 2.5-4 cm long, straight or slightly curved. Flowers have 8 stamens and an ovary on top with a style and stigma.

The fruit of the schizocarp divides into three wrinkled pepperrps, each carpel with one large seed, ovoid with a prominent longitudinal ridge, pale green in color and turning pale brown when ripe.

This species grows in coastal and disturbed areas especially, scrub land, herbaceous fields, wetlands, river banks, urban bush land, roadsides, railway tracks, elevations up to 3000 meters, in full sun or partial shade, not tolerant against drought.

This plant contains carotenoids (violaxanthin, antheraxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, zeinoxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, α-carotene, β-carotene), beta carotene, glycosides, flavonoids (quersetin, isoquercetin, quercetin 3-glucoside, myricetin, kaempferol, pelargonidin, delphinidin, cyanidin, derivatives of hydroxycinnamic acid), polyphenols, glucosinolates (benzyl glucosinolate (glucotropaeolin), sinalbin), fatty acids (erucic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid).

This plant has antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, depurative, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, aphrodisiac, sedative, stimulant, antibacterial and antiviral, antibiotic, anticancer, antiseptic and antiscorbutic activities.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Brassicales
Family: Tropaeolaceae
Genus: Tropaeolum
Species: Tropaeolum majus

Skyflower (Duranta erecta)

Sinyo nakal or skyflower ( Duranta erecta ) is plant species in Verbenaceae, a broad shrub or small tree, up to 6 m high, stems growing upright or horizontally with broad clumps, many branches, bark light brown, old tree has axillary spines and grows to form dense colonies. D. erecta has bright green leaves, elliptical to ovoid, pointed or rounded ends, sitting opposite, 7.5 cm long, 3.5 cm wide, a main vein in the middle with several small lateral veins, petiole long 1.5 cm. Flowers are light blue or lavender or white, appear in tight clusters as on terminal stems and axils, often curled or pendulous, blooms in summer. The fruit is a berry having a stalk, small round, yellow or orange or white in color, up to 11 mm in diameter, an eye green in front and containing several seeds. Skyflower grows in dry or humid areas and lots of sun, rocky or sandy beaches, forests, farmland and disturbed places. Plants will grow at a rate of up to half a meter per year. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum:...

Yellow garden spider (Argiope appensa)

Yellow garden spider ( Argiope appensa ) is a species of spider in Araneidae that lives on the coast to forests on islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Black and yellow females are striking and have a length of 5.1-6.4 cm including long legs, while males are brown and have a length of about 1.9 cm. A. appensa lives on cliffs in the hills at 600 m above sea level in Kewu plain to rice fields in the lowlands. They make nests at a height of 1.5 meters from the ground between teak ( Tectona grandis ), sonokeling ( Dalbergia latifolia ), sonosiso ( Dalbergia sissoo ), crown flower ( Calotropis gigantea ) and various grasses. Yellow garden spiders grow in large sizes, but are not toxic to humans. Advanced builds ball-shaped nets and most of them make stabilizers which are zigzag-shaped lines in nets made of thicker bands. This species spends more time in stationary and sits in the middle of the net with its head down to wait for insects to be entangled in fine silk thread. Unli...

Broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius)

Broad-leaved dock ( Rumex obtusifolius ) is a species of plant in the Polygonaceae, herbaceous perennial, growing broadly, up to 150 cm tall, large, oval-shaped leaves with a heart-shaped base and rounded tip, large taproot with many branches extending to a depth of 150 cm. R. obtusifolius has leaves up to 30 cm long, 15 cm wide and green. Stems are long, hard, alternate, green or reddish in color and unbranched until just below the inflorescence. A main vein in the middle and green or reddish in color. Flat or wavy surface. The inflorescences consist of large clusters of racemes that contain small, greenish flowers that turn red as they mature. Seeds are reddish brown and dry. Broad-leaved dock grows in fertile soils, grasslands, waste lands, roadsides, ditches, coastlines and riverbanks, forest margins, forest clearing and agricultural land. The leaves are used as a salad to make vegetable broth or cooked like spinach. Dried seeds are used as a spice. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tr...

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