False staghorn fern (Dicranopteris linearis)

Resam or false staghorn fern (Dicranopteris linearis) is a plant species in the Gleicheniaceae, a common fern with stems growing from rhizomes, cylindrical in shape, straight, branching at an angle of 45 degrees, forming fronds that continuously sprout and branch.

D. linearis has white sorus and appears on the underside of the leaf, lining up along the left and right of the veins. Rhizomes spread by cloning, spreading along the ground and climbing other vegetation, often forming thickets 3 meters or more deep.

Colonies of this species form mats that are layered. The branches can reach over 6 meters in length and can climb up to 10 meters high if supported by the tree. The last leaf segment is linear, up to 7 cm long and a few millimeters wide. The underside is hairy and sometimes waxy.

This fern grows easily in infertile, nutrient-poor soils, disturbed habitats and steep slopes. This species dominates many areas of the rainforest as a pioneer species in ecological succession and colonizes empty sites such as lava flows, talus and abandoned roads.

When it grows in a new place it will produce layers of stems and leaves repeatedly until there is a network of vegetation. Dead leaves and stems decompose very slowly, so the tissue remains. The network is then filled with organic forest detritus, forming a layer of litter up to 1 meter thick.

The tissue is penetrated by rhizomes and roots, thereby serving as a substrate in itself. These ferns may have allelopathic effects and prevent the growth of other plants. This plant is used to treat worms, boils, skin wounds, fever and kill bacteria.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Subclass: Polypodiidae
Order: Gleicheniales
Family: Gleicheniaceae
Genus: Dicranopteris
Species: Dicranopteris linearis
Variety: Dicranopteris linearis var. alternans, Dicranopteris linearis var. bidentata, Dicranopteris linearis var. ferruginea, Dicranopteris linearis var. inaequalis, Dicranopteris linearis var. linearis, Dicranopteris linearis var. rigida, Dicranopteris linearis var. stipulosa, Dicranopteris linearis var. subferruginea, Dicranopteris linearis var. subspeciosa
Form: Dicranopteris linearis f. emarginata

Black potato (Coleus rotundifolius)

Black potato ( Coleus rotundifolius ) is a species of plant in Lamiaceae, herbaceous, fibrous roots and tubers, erect and slightly creeping stems, quadrangular, thick, and slightly odorous. Single leaves, thick, membranous, opposite and alternate. Leaves are oval, dark green and shiny on the upper side, bright green on the lower side. Up to 5 cm long, up to 4 cm wide, slightly hairy and pinnate leaf veins. Leaf stalks up to 4 cm long. Small, purple flowers. Star-shaped petals, lip-shaped crown, dark to light purple with a slightly curved tube shape. Flowering from February-August. Small tubers, brown and white flesh and tuber length 2-4 cm. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Subfamily: Nepetoideae Tribe: Ocimeae Subtribe: Plectranthinae Genus: Coleus Species: Coleus rotundifolius

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 ...

Purwaceng (Pimpinella pruatjan)

Purwaceng or purwoceng or antanan gunung or Viagra of Java ( Pimpinella pruatjan or Pimpinella priatjan ) are small termas growing horizontally in Apiaceae, growing in villages on Dieng Plateau, Central Java Province, Indonesia, at 1,500 to 2,000 meters above sea level, the roots have medicinal properties for aphrodisiacs and are usually processed in powder form for a mixture of coffee or milk. P. pruatjan grows flat on the ground but does not propagate, small leaves are reddish green for 1-3 cm in diameter. This plant is only found in Java and grows in high mountain areas. A low population where industrial demand is very high results in increasingly scarce. Another place that is likely to become a purwaceng habitat is the Iyang Mountains and the Tengger Mountains in East Java Province. Efforts to multiply and cultivate have a big problem where these plants have difficulty producing seeds. In vitro propagation research through tissue cultivation has been carried out to overcome ...

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