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

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