Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia)

Paitan or Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) is a plant species in Asteraceae, shrubs with 2-4 meters high, abundant yellow flowers, fast growing, tolerant to high canopy density with deep roots and widely used as a barrier to erosion, insulin and green fertilizer.

T. diversifolia grows upright, erect stems are tubular and green woody. Single leaf arranged alternately, length up to 32 cm, width up to 25 cm, sharp edges and base, pinnate bones, rough surface and green. Young leaves have a tip, while adult leaves have 3-5 ends.

Compound flowers grow at the end of branches with long stems. Petals are tubular, smooth hair and green. Crown will be separated, ribbon-shaped, yellow and smooth. Yellow round stamens and curved pistils are yellow.

The fruits are round, light green and turn brown when ripe. The seeds are round, have four corners, 5 mm long, hard and brown in color. Seeds spread by the wind. White taproot.

Mexican sunflower grows wild on the edge of farmland, cliff slopes and highway edges. Fertile breeds at altitudes 550-1950 m, annual temperatures 15-31C, annual rainfall 100-2000 mm and lots of sun.

Paitan is widely used as an organic fertilizer to support growth, reduce pollutants and reduce the level of active P, Al and Fe giraffe. Leaves to reduce blood glucose levels in diabetics, treat itching and scabies, oxidize bacterial skin cells and prevent fungus.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribe: Heliantheae
Subtribe: Helianthinae
Genus: Tithonia
Species: Tithonia diversifolia

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...

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