Large-leaved uvaria (Uvaria littoralis)

Kalak or large-leaved uvaria (Uvaria littoralis) is a species of plant in Annonaceae, shrub or small tree, erect, woody, young branches are blackish brown with white spots, growing in clumps on the shaded forest floor, in teak forests, clay soil, limestone and rocky rocks.

U. littoralis has leaves in rows along the branches, zigzag, very short stalks and sitting alternately. The leaf blade is up to 25 cm long, up to 10 cm wide, pointed tip, heart base, a main vein in the middle with many small pinnate veins.

Fan-shaped flowers, blood red, yellow center. Fruits grow at the end of the bunch and radial with a 1-2 cm long stalk. Young fruit is round and yellow, ripe fruit is oval or elongated and red to blackish blue.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Annonaceae
Subfamily: Annonoideae
Tribe: Uvarieae
Genus: Uvaria L. in Sp. Pl.: 536 (1753)
Species: Uvaria littoralis (Blume) Blume in Fl. Javae 21-22: 26 (1830)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Unona littoralis Blume in Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind.: 16 (1825)
Uvaria gamopetala Zoll. in Linnaea 29: 310 (1858)
Uvaria littoralis var. miquelii Boerl. in Cat. Pl. Phan.: 14 (1899)
Uvaria ovalifolia var. normalis Miq. in Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugduno-Batavi 2: 7 (1865)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Guatteria cordata Dunal in Monogr. Anonac.: 129 (1817)
Guatteria rufa Lindl. in Bot. Reg. 10: t. 836 (1824)
Unona camphorata Blanco in Fl. Filip.: 468 (1837)
Uva cordata (Dunal) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 7 (1891)
Uva synsepala (Miq.) Kuntze (1891)
Uvaria acrantha Miq. in Fl. Ned. Ind., Eerste Bijv.: 368 (1861)
Uvaria cordata (Dunal) Wall. in Numer. List: n.° 6486 (1832)
Uvaria macrophylla Roxb. ex Wall. in Pl. Asiat. Rar. 2: 22 (1830)
Uvaria macrophylla var. glabrior Miq. (1861)
Uvaria ovalifolia Blume in Fl. Javae 21-22: 27 (1830)
Uvaria ovalifolia var. acrantha (Miq.) Miq. (1865)
Uvaria ovalifolia var. borneensis Miq. (1865)
Uvaria ovalifolia var. racemiflora Miq. (1865)
Uvaria rufescens A.DC. in Mém. Soc. Phys. Genève 5: 202 (1832)
Uvaria sorzogonensis C.Presl in Reliq. Haenk. 2: 76 (1835)
Uvaria synsepala Miq. in J. Bot. Néerl. 1: 128 (1861)
Magnolia fasciculata P.Parm. in Bull. Sci. France Belgique 27: 265 (1895 publ. 1896)

PUBLICATIONS

Johnson, D.M. & Murray, N.A. (eds.) (2022). Flora of Thailand 16(1): 1-332. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department.

Turner, I.M. (2011). A catalogue of the Annonaceae of Borneo. Phytotaxa 36: 1-120.

Turner, I.M. (2012). Annonaceae of Borneo: a review of the climbing species. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 64: 371-479.

Turner, I.M. (2018). Annonaceae of the Asia-Pacific region: names types and distribution. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 70: 409-744.

VERNACULAR NAME

Chinese (Simplified): 海滨紫玉盘 - 紫玉盘
Chinese (Traditional): 紫玉盤
English: Large-leaved Uvaria
Indonesian: Kalak
Japanese: コミノムラサキボク
Thai: นมช้าง

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium

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...

Pink poui (Tabebuia rosea)

Pink poui ( Tabebuia rosea ) is a species of plant in the Bignoniaceae, a small neotropical tree, growing up to 30 meters tall and up to 100 cm in diameter. It has layered and irregular branches, with gray to brown bark and vertical fissures. The leaves are compound, finger-shaped, five-petaled, length up to 33 cm, width up to 15 cm and long stalk up to 9 cm. The flowers are large, bright red or purple or white, fan-shaped, up to 9 cm long, up to 8 cm wide. The fruit capsule is slender and up to 35 cm long. The fruit dries and dehisces, producing anemochorous seeds with hyaline membrane wings. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Bignoniaceae Genus: Tabebuia Gomes ex DC. in Biblioth. Universelle Genève, n.s., 17: 130 (1838) Species: Tabebuia rosea (Bertol.) DC. in Prodr. 9: 215 (1845) HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS Couralia rosea (Bertol.) Donn.Sm. in Bot. Gaz. 20: 9 (1895) Sparattosperma roseum (Bertol.) Miers in Proc....

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 ...

Dlium