Lesser balloon vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum)

Ketipes or Lesser balloon vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum) is a species of plant in the Sapindaceae, herbaceous, climbing up to 10 meters, very dense and perennial, stems cylindrical, green, grooved, bald to slightly hairy.

C. halicacabum has triangular leaves, 5-6 cm long, spread on the stem, divided into stalks and pinnate leaves. The edges of the leaves are serrated.

The flowers are fan-shaped, four white to yellowish petals ovate and 3 mm long, the upper two are each decorated with hairy scales and the lower two have large leaf-shaped scales and two glands.

The fruit capsule is pear-shaped, membranous, almost round or wide, 3-5 cm in diameter, green and brown when ripe. The capsule has three chambers, each with one black seed, kidney-shaped, 6 mm in diameter and at the base there is a heart-shaped white aryl with a width of 5 mm.

The green part of the plant is eaten as a vegetable. The root is used as a diuretic, pain reliever, emetic, laxative, rubefacient, rheumatism, nervous diseases and hemorrhoids. The leaves are used for amenorrhea, lung complaints and skin eczema.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Sapindales
Family: Sapindaceae
Genus: Cardiospermum
Species: Cardiospermum halicacabum
Variety: Cardiospermum halicacabum var. halicacabum, Cardiospermum halicacabum var. microcarpum

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 ...

Devil's backbone (Euphorbia tithymaloides)

Pokok lipan or devil's-backbone or redbird flower or christmas candle or Pedilanthus tithymaloides ( Euphorbia tithymaloides ) are plant species in Euphorbiaceae, upright, evergreen, gummy shrubs, growing in tropical and subtropical regions. E. tithymaloides likes sandy soils especially with high concentrations of boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc. This bush grows to 2.4 m high and 61 cm wide. Simple angiosperm leaves, arranged opposite to the stem where each leaf is sessile with a length of 3.6-7.6 cm. The stem has the tip of a handle that supports a group of flowers that are not scented. Bifid crown and ovoid. The involucral bracts are bright red, irregular in shape and length from 1.1 to 1.3 mm. Hairy male and female pedicels. Seed pods are 7.6 mm long, 8.9 mm wide and ovate with clipped ends. Devil's-backbone generally blooms in mid-spring in the subtropical region and in the dry season in the tropics. Pollination is carried out by ants and birds. ...

Blue pansy (Junonia orithya)

Blue pansy ( Junonia orithya ) is an animal species in Nymphalidae, butterflies with at least 23 subspecies, have a variety of hues and colors including blue, black, brown and white, sex dimorphism, live in open areas and agricultural land, larvae grow at the end dry season or early rainy season. J. orithya has a black body with thick hair, a brown head, large white eyes, a pair of long white antennae with a hammer tip and white legs. Males have top front wings are dominated by black and whitish brown. Each side has two circles in brown, black and blue. Three stripes are brown and white. The hind wing is predominantly blue. Each side has two circles in brown, black, white and blue. The margins are bordered by white ribbons with black stripes. The rear wing is predominantly blue. Each side has two circles in brown, black, white and blue. Three stripes are brown and white. The margins are bordered by white ribbons with black stripes. The underside of the forewings is dominated by brow...

Dlium