Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Kunyit or turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a species of plant in the Zingiberaceae, herbaceous perennial, up to 1 meter tall, aromatic rhizome, branched, cylindrical, yellow and thin skin, yellow to orange inside.

C. longa has leaves sitting alternately and arranged in two rows, divided into leaf midrib, petiole and blade. The leaf midrib forms a false stem. The petiole is 50-115 cm long. The leaf blade is simple, usually 76-115 cm long and rarely up to 230 cm. 38-45 cm wide, extending to an ellipse and narrowing at the tip.

At the top of the inflorescence, there are stem bracts where there are no flowers, white to green and sometimes reddish purple in color and the upper tip is tapered.

Hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic and triple. Three sepals, 0.8-1.2 cm long, fused, white in color, have fine hairs and three unequal calyx teeth. The three petals are bright yellow, fused into a crown tube and up to 3 cm long.

The three crown lobes are 1.0–1.5 cm (3⁄8–5⁄8 in) long and triangular in shape with soft spiked upper ends. The outer staminode is shorter than the labellum. The labellum is yellowish in color with a yellow band in the middle, ovoid in shape and 1.2-2.0 cm long. Three carpels under constant trilobed ovary. The fruit capsule opens with three compartments.

The tip on the false stem is an inflorescence stem, 12-20 cm long and bearing many flowers. Bracts are light green, ovate to oblong, obtuse upper end and 3-5 cm long.

Turmeric powder contains about 60-70% carbohydrates, 6-13% water, 6-8% protein, 5-10% fat, 3-7% dietary minerals, 3-7% essential oils, 2-7% dietary fiber and 1 -6% curcuminoids.

Turmeric is often used as a spice, giving a yellow color to dishes and as a preservative. The rhizome is used to cool the body, release gas from the intestines and stomach, stop bleeding and prevent blood clots.

Turmeric is also used as an anti-itch, anti-septic, anti-spasmodic, reducing swelling of the mucous membranes of the mouth and nasal congestion. The extract is used as an ointment to treat swelling and sprains. Turmeric is used to treat irregularities in the work of the kidneys, body odor and eyes that are not resistant to sunlight.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Zingiberaceae
Subfamily: Zingiberoideae
Tribe: Zingibereae
Genus: Curcuma
Subgenus: Curcuma
Species: Curcuma longa

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 ...

False nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica)

False nettle ( Boehmeria cylindrica ) is a species of plant in the Urticaceae family, a herb or small shrub, up to 160 cm tall, usually monoecious but rarely dioecious. The leaves are paired or alternate, and the inflorescence is a spikelet with a cluster of small bracts at the tip. B. cylindrica generally grows to a height of 50-100 cm. Spine-like hairs form in the leaf axils. The leaves are oval and up to 10 cm long and 4 cm wide. The flowers are green or greenish-white and emerge from the upper leaf axils. Male and female flowers usually grow on separate plants. Male flowers are more numerous among the spikes in clusters. Female flowers are less evenly distributed along the spikes. The small, oval seeds are covered with small, hook-like hairs. Ripe seeds are dark brown. The inflorescence resembles a spike and is up to 3 cm long. This species can be found in moist to mesic deciduous forest habitats, growing abundantly along streambanks, floodplains, and lowlands. B. cylindrica is ...

Alexandrian Laurel (Calophyllum inophyllum)

Alexandrian Laurel ( Calophyllum inophyllum ) is a species of plant in the Calophyllaceae family. It is a low-branching, slow-growing, spreading tree with a wide, irregular crown. It grows up to 30 meters tall, has a cylindrical trunk, and thick, black, and fissured bark. The leaves are thick, oval, with rounded tips, even margins, and a smooth surface. The upper side is dark green and glossy, the underside is bright green, with a central vein in bright green. The leaves are up to 27 cm long, 13 cm wide, and have a 1 cm petiole. Flowers bloom throughout the year, but typically from April to June and October to December. Flowers are 30 mm in diameter and occur in racemose or paniculate inflorescences of four to 15 flowers. The flowers have a sweet aroma and attract numerous pollinating insects. The fruit is round, green, up to 4 cm in diameter, with a large seed in the center. When ripe, the fruit wrinkles and turns yellow to brownish. The fruit is light, with thin, spongy flesh and a...

Dlium