Chayote (Sechium edule)

Labu siam or jipang or mirliton squash or chayote (Sechium edule) is a plant species in Cucurbitaceae, growing vines and generally upwards, widely planted as food and a source of vitamin C where fresh fruit for salads or lightly cooked to remove sap.

S. edule grows on the ground or climbs large trees up to 12 m high, stems are green, not woody and are usually cultivated anywhere as long as they have support. The ends of the stems are threaded to reach support or link themselves.

The leaves are oval, 10-25 cm wide, have many angles as the bones depend on variety and the surface has hair. Male flowers in groups and solitary female flowers, yellowish green, four or five petals and pistils in the middle.

The fruit hangs on the stem, is irregular in egg shape, slightly flattened and has rough wrinkles, 10-20 cm long, green or yellow, has a thin skin, white insides with a single hole, large and flat. Some varieties have thorny skin.

The fruit is boiled briefly to remove sap and eaten for a variety of dishes. Young leaves, roots, stems and seeds are also eaten. Bulbs are eaten like potatoes. Leaves and fruit for diuretics, cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory, hypertension and dissolving kidney stones.

A portion of 100g contains 19 kcal, 0.1g fat, 2mg sodium, 125mg potassium, 17mg calcium, 12mg magnesium, 7.7mg vitamin C, 4.5g carbohydrates, 0.8g protein, 0.3mg iron, and 0.1mg vitamin B6.

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Sechium
Species: S. edule
Subspesies: Sechium edule edule, Sechium edule sylvestre

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...

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:...

Pink trumpet tree (Tabebuia heterophylla)

Pink trumpet tree ( Tabebuia heterophylla ) is a species of plant in the Bignoniaceae family, growing 6–9 meters tall with a cylindrical trunk and brown bark that is often linearly fissured. The leaves are opposite, compound, with five or fewer minor leaflets. T. heterophylla has striking bright red flowers, tubular, five-lobed, and 5–7.5 cm long. The fruit is a cylindrical pod, up to 20 cm long and up to 1 cm wide. The pod stalk is up to 3 cm long. The pod splits along two lines to release numerous thin, light brown seeds, 0.5–2.5 cm long with two white wings. This species is often used as a street tree and shade tree for residential properties. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Bignoniaceae Genus: Tabebuia Species: Tabebuia heterophylla

Dlium