Marigold (Tagetes erecta)

Ades or Randa kencana or marigold (Tagetes erecta) are plants in the family Compositae (Asteraceae), as one of the ornamental herbs commonly used as hedgerows and are commercially cut flowers which have unique flowers and striking colors.

T. erecta is an annual plant, grows on soil with a neutral pH in hot areas, lots of sunlight and good drainage. The height of this plant ranges from 30 cm to 120 cm. The stem grows erect and branched, greenish white if the shoots are young and green if they are grown.

In all stems grow a compound with pointed ends and jagged edges. The outermost layer is the stem epidermis. Single leaves, pinnate resembling compound leaves, elongated shape to narrow lanceolate with round glandular spots on the edges and green.

Marigolds have flowers measuring 7.5 - 10 cm with double crown arrangements, bright colors with orange and golden yellow. Flowers have a complete organ including pistils and stamens, shaped like a hump, single or collected in panicles and surrounded by protective leaves.

Traditional medicine uses marigolds to cure respiratory infections, anti-inflammation, thinning phlegm, overcoming coughs and medication for wounds. Marigold flowers by the Filipino people are also used as a cure for anemia and rheumatism.

Plants contain essential oils, natural fungicides and anti-nematodes. Marigold flowers in the social are used as sow flowers and ceremonial facilities for the Hindu community in Bali. This plant is also used as a natural food coloring and chicken feed supplement to produce yellow in the egg.

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Tagetes
Species: T. erecta

Stinking passionflower (Passiflora foetida)

Rambusa or senthiet or stinking passionflower ( Passiflora foetida ) is a species of plant in the Passifloraceae, herbaceous creeping or climbing, pungent smell, fruit covered by enlarged flower petals, growing in forest bushes, agricultural lands and abandoned lands. P. foetida grows to a length of 5 meters, the stem is cylindrical and has white hairs. Single leaf, 1-3 cm stalk and long hair. Strands ovate, 3.5-13 cm wide, 4.5-14 cm long, three pointed corners, heart-shaped leaf base, may be flat or not deep toothed. Additional flowers and petals are bandage leaves with 3 strands, sharing a double pinnate with a woven thread-like crown, 1-3 cm. The calyx tube is wide bell-shaped. The corolla and corolla extend up to 2.5 cm, bright white and often with purple in the center. Stalks at the base and attached. The pistil stalk is in the shape of a mace with 3 items. The berries are covered by a bandage leaf, oval in shape, 1.5-2 cm long, yellow-orange when ripe and have many seeds. Sent...

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 ...

Perikapur (Microchirita caerulea)

Perikapur ( Microchirita caerulea ) is plant species in Gesneriaceae, herbaceous, non-woody, upright, growing up to 65 cm tall. Its stems are straight, cylindrical, and bright green. Its roots are fibrous and white, clinging to limestone surfaces and cliffs in karst landscapes. M. caerulea grows in sparse or distant colonies. The stems are erect, straight, cylindrical, bright green, reddish, or brownish, and have white hairs. The leaves are opposite, with petioles up to 5 cm long. The leaf blades are oval, up to 14 cm long, up to 8 cm wide, and have pointed tips. The upper side is green, with white, and rough hairs. The underside is bright green. A main vein runs through the center and minor veins run laterally. The inflorescences grow above the leaf blades. The flowers are fan-shaped or trumpet-shaped and hairy, 2 cm long and 1 cm wide, with violet stripes on the upper side. The leaf blades are green, butterfly-shaped, and have white, and rough hairs. The leaves grow from the leaf ...

Dlium