Cornstalk dracena (Dracaena fragrans)

Drasena or cornstalk dracena (Dracaena fragrans) is a species of flowering plant in Asparagaceae, a shrub that grows slowly, is very adaptive and inhabits in altitude regions of 600-2250 m, multistemmed at the base, up to 15 m high or higher with narrow, upright and slender crowns.

D. fragrans has a round stem with a diameter of up to 30 cm, young plants have a single stem and are not branched with a rosette of leaves to the ends, producing two or more new stems with subsequent flowering episodes.

Lanceolate leaves, 20-150 cm long, 2-12 cm wide, green overall or yellow vertical stripes follow the bone trench in the middle for some varieties, shiny, upright young leaves to spread and larger leaves droop due to weight.

The flowers in panicles are 15-160 cm long, individual flowers have a diameter of 2.5 cm with a six-lobed corolla, are pink and open white with the center having a red or purple line on each lobe for 7-12 mm, very fragrant and popular with pollinating insects.

The berries are green and turn orange red when ripe, 1-2 cm in diameter and contain several seeds. Dracena cornstalk is used for ornamental plants and removes air pollutants including formaldehyde, xylene and toluene.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Nolinoideae
Genus: Dracaena
Species: Dracaena fragrans
Varieties: Dracaena fragrans var. compacta, Dracaena fragrans var. fragrans

Six new species forming the Sumbana species group in genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg 1798 from Indonesia

NEWS - Sumbawa longhorn ( Nemophora sumbana Kozlov, sp. nov.), Timor longhorn ( Nemophora timorella Kozlov, sp. nov.), shining shade longhorn ( Nemophora umbronitidella Kozlov, sp. nov.), Wegner longhorn ( Nemophora wegneri Kozlov, sp. nov.), long brush longhorn ( Nemophora longipeniculella Kozlov, sp. nov.), and short brush longhorn ( Nemophora brevipeniculella Kozlov, sp. nov.) from the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia. The Lesser Sunda Islands consist of two parallel, linear oceanic island chains, including Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Sawu, Timor, Alor, and Tanimbar. The oldest of these islands have been continuously occurring for 10–12 million years. This long period of isolation has allowed significant in situ diversification, making the Lesser Sundas home to many endemic species. This island chain may act as a two-way filter for organisms migrating between the world's two great biogeographic regions, Asia and Australia-Papua. The recognition of a striking cli...

Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum)

Ranti or black nightshade ( Solanum nigrum ) is a species of plant in the Solanaceae, shrub and short-lived, stems erect or lying on the ground, berries have a black color when ripe, grows in forests, agricultural land and disturbed habitats. S. nigrum has stems erect or lying at ground level, 30–120 cm (12 to 47 in) long, branched, tubular with several linear grooves forming a cone, green and white-haired. Leaves are elliptical to heart-shaped, 4-7.5 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, pinnate base, pointed or blunt tip, wavy edge or large toothed, dark green upper side, pale underside, hairy or hairless and has a stalk with a length of 1-3 cm. Flowers have greenish to whitish petals, curved when old and surrounded by bright yellow anthers. The berries are mostly 6-8 mm in diameter and are green then turn dull black or black purple or red. Black nightshade grows well with a soil pH of 5.5-6.5 and is rich in organic matter. It is difficult to grow under conditions of high temperature and high hum...

Redflower ragleaf (Crassocephalum crepidioides)

Sintrong or ebolo or thickhead or redflower ragleaf ( Crassocephalum crepidioides ) are plant species in Asteraceae, terma height 25-100 cm, white fibrous roots, generally grow wild on the roadside, yard gardens or abandoned lands at altitude 200- 2500 m. C. crepidioides has erect or horizontal stems along the soil surface, vascular, soft, non-woody, shallow grooves, green, rough surface and short white hair, aromatic fragrance when squeezed. Petiole is spread on stems, tubular and eared. Single leaf, spread out, green, 8-20 cm long, 3-6 cm wide, longitudinal or round inverted eggshell with a narrow base along the stalk. Pointed tip, flat-edged or curved to pinnate, jagged rough and pointed. The top leaves are smaller and often sit. Compound flowers grow throughout the year in humps that are arranged in terminal flat panicles and androgynous. Green cuffs with orange-brown to brick-red tips, cylindrical for 13-16 mm long and 5-6 mm wide. The crown is yellow with a brownish red...

Dlium