Carnivorous Plants

Carnivorous plants are various types of flowering plants and fungi that capture and digest prey animals. Photosynthetic carnivorous plants live in habitats poor in minerals, and they benefit primarily from the mineral nutrients gained from the prey. Since the animals they capture are primarily arthropods and chiefly insects, canivorous plants are sometimes called insectivorous plants, or even vertebrates such as small frogs and birds. Carnivorousness has arisen independently  in several unrelated groups, and families once thought not to have carnivorous members have later been found to do so. More are likely to be found. Carnivorous plants may be grouped according to their trapping mechanisms (see table, which lists examples of eacht trap type), as well as according to the biological classification system.

TYPES OF TRAPS IN CARNIVOROUS PLANTS

Method of Capture
Trap types observed in carnivorous plants include pitfalls and "lobster traps", adhesive traps, and various kinds of mechanical traps.
Pitfalls exist in a number of unrelated groups of flowering plants. These traps consist of tubular leaves, or arrays of leaves, that are filled with water. Insects are captured when they fall into the fluid, which often contains wetting agents and digestive enzymes. So-called lobster pots also consist of tubular leaves. In this type of trap, however, the tube is often horizontal and is lined with hairs that guide the prey along a path leading to the digestive part of the trap. Bromeliads, of the pineapple family Bromeliaceae, may also be mentioned, because some have leaf bases that form definite cups in which water accumulates. Such plants do not trap insects, however, so much as simply make use of nutrients provided by dead vegetation and animal remains that fall into the cups.
Adhesive traps involve sticky surfaces. Sticky-haired adhesive traps exist in several plant families. Typically, flying insects are captured when they adhere to slime secreted by hairs covering the leaf. In some genera, such as Drosera, the leaf actively moves the prey to the center and wraps around it. Sticky-needed adhesive traps have only recently been observed but may be widespread. The seed of the shepherd's purse, capsera, a common lawn weed, attracts, captures, and utilizes nutrients from prey; soil bacteria do the digesting.
Mechanical traps of various types occur. So-called snap traps, including the Venus's-flytrap, are found in only one family, the sundew family. Droseraceae, and in only two genera, Dionaea and Aldrovanda, each with a single species. In these plants the prey is trapped by rapid closure of a set of lobes around the animal when it touches sensory hairs that trigger the closure. The action results from acid growth in the lobes within less than a second. Suction traps, found in the aquatic Bladderwort Ultricularia, are similar to the style of mouse trap in which a door allows the mouse to enter but not to exit. The prey trips a lever on the plant "door", which allows water and the prey to be sucked into the trap when the plant's concave side puffs outward. Snare traps are found in carnivorous fungi. One type, in the genus Arthobotrys, has a trap that looks like a small lasso with three segments around the loop. When triggered by a nematode, the segments bulge out to capture the worm. The fungus then grows into the prey and digests it.


Ecology
Flowering carnivorous plants occur in freshwater, in Sphagnum (peat moss) bogs and other swampy areas, on trees and old logs, and on hardened soils that are seasonally very wet. Plants in seasonally wet areas have dormancy mechanisms that they use druing the dry periods. (An exception, Drosophyllum, which grows in dry areas in Portugal, is reported to have to have a deep taproot.) The features common to nearly all habitats of carnivorous plants include low levels of mineral nutrients, at least a periodic abudance of water, and bright sunlight. Trapping mechanism often involve loss of water from the leaf and are likely to decrease photosynthetic efficiency. In a mineral-poor environment, these tradeoffs are apparently worth the supplementary mineral nutrients gained.


Growing Conditions
Carnivorous plants grown indoors should be provided with bright light, a lot of water, and a medium (such as peat moss) that is low in minerals. Maintaining high humidity and watering with rainwater or distilled water is desirable. The plants should not be overfed or given meat, because meat contains too much salt. The plants can catch their own insects or be fed a few small ones each week.

Orchid Treatment

Orchids have long been used as traditional herbal medicine with the kingdom in the past. Like China, Japan, India, Egypt and Turkey, including Indonesia. On the continent of Asia, the people of China, Japan, India and Indonesia use medicinal plants for health needs. Approximately 7300 plant species have been used by the public for orchid treatment as Chinese herbal medicine. This makes China the leading country in the utilization of medicinal plants. As one of the world's oldest source of medicine, particularly herbal medicines, orchid plants have been widely used by Chinese people long ago. Plants from several families Ochidaceae this genus by the Chinese people have been used as medicinal plants, among others, Dendrobium, Malaxis, Gastrodia, Bletilla and Anoectochillus.
Several species of this genus have been described above even in the materia medica, written at the time of Emperor Shen-nung-28 century BC. Traditional medicinal products derived from Dendrobium even have long traded in china specially for orchid treatment.
In china, dendrobium used as an herbal medicine is very big. Dendrobium orchids potential as a drug because it produces a variety of important metabolites, some of which are alkaloids. The main alkaloids and most often found on dendrobium is dendrobine. Orchids are also well known in the Arab region and especially in Egypt, Turkey and some parts of the kingdom, particularly Mecca, Jeddah, is known to have high nutritional value. The Orchid treatment commonly used type of ground orchid (orchis mascula). In Cairo, known by the name Sahlab, which has shaped and colored white powder, when taken a bit and feels like flour or tapioca starch, many people believe that Sahlab useful as a sexual stimulant, is usually consumed in the sweet taste by adding sugar or honey. 
In Indonesia has a wealth of very large plants. Wealth of orchid species that exist in Indonesia one of the largest in the world, far beyond China. Species such as Dendrobium, Malaxis, and even found Vanilla which is good for orchid treatment. Habits of indigenous peoples and tribes in Indonesia who have long used plants as medicine.
Orchids are not only functions as an ornamental plant, but can be used for various types of treatment.
Several ways of orchid treatment
- Brain cancer (Take the flowers, stems, leaves and roots of orchids pigeons. 
  Then rinse thoroughly and then mash finely. After that mix with 100 cc of boiled water. 
  Squeeze and strain, and drink once a day).
- Hacking Cough (Take the orchid stem nodules (pholidota chinesis Lindi) as much 
  as 50 grams of finely ground and squeezed water, filtered, and drink as well. 
  Perform treatment 3 times a day, morning, afternoon and evening after meals).
- Rheumatic (Take all parts of orchid tubers as much as 60 grams and then washed and 
  boiled in 400 ml of boiling water for 15 minutes. Results stew after a cold, filtered and 
  drink as well. Treatment carried out 2 times a day morning and afternoon).
- Respiratory Illness (Treatment of respiratory disease is a type of orchid that used 
  ground orchid (Bletilla striata) of the family Orchidaceae. 
  The flowers are long-stemmed pink to purple. 
  Orchid boiled and added powdered orchid bulbs and drink).
- Uterus Bleeding (Take one teaspoon of powdered orchid bulbs, then mixed with a glass of 
  cold water and put on the fire, stir then add the sugar. After boiling, remove and let cool drinks.
- Children Growing (Take the orchid to eat flour sugar, milk and honey as food for the kids or 
   extra milk to drink).

Pineapple Efficacy

Pineapple fruit has a golden yellow color and has a efficacy for our bodies. What it is ? following information.
Pineapple tree can thrive in a tropical climate like in Indonesia with a relatively short harvest period, which ranges from 2 to 3 times a year. That is the main reason why a lot of pineapple tree plantations in ​​Indonesia region, and the affordable price of pineapple fruit for Indonesia's population. Pineapple fruit is not from Indonesia but from Latin American countries like Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. One of the pineapple efficacy is useful for beauty and health, but the skin of the pineapple fruit is useful for cleaning marble. Pineapple fruit also contains phitochemical which is good for health. Phitochemical is substance, not the nutrients found in plants that have useful biological activity for out body, as an antioxidant. In addition, pineapple fruit contains the enzyme bromelain which can also change the protein in milk, meat and gelatin makes food ingredients into wet.
The Other pineapple efficicacy of pineapple fruit acids will not harmful to people with ulcers. Photchemicalnya womb can lower a high pH to be able to control stomach acid. To improve the usability of the pineapple fruit is better taken as a whole. Pineapple fruit is usually consumed to a mixture of fruit and iced fruit soup. But keep in mind pineapple fruit can be processed into typical Indonesian food such as: dodol and keripik. In order for pineapple fruit can be used optimally, recognizing the quality of pineapple fruit including pineapple choose ripe fruit, do not be damaged or brown color, and contain high water content.

Medicinal Plants Historical

Medicinal Plants Historical

Primitive humans experimentally sampled many kinds of plants in their search for nourishment. Medicinal plants that were palatable were used for food; those with toxic or unpleasant effects were avoided or used against enemies; others that produced physiological effects such as perspiration, defecation, healing, or hallucination were saved for medicinal purposes and divination. Over a period of thousands of years, people learned to use a variety of plants as medicines for different ailments and become medicinal plants.




Use in History
Over 4,000 years ago, according to tradition, the Chinese emperor Chi'en Nung put together a book (herbal) of medicinal plants called Pen Tsao. It contained descriptions of more than 300 plants, several of which are still used in medicine. During the same era and later, the Sumerians recorded prescription on clay tablets, while the Egyptians recorded exotic plants ingredients in Ebers Papyrus. The Greeks and the Romans derived some of their contributions are recorded in De Materia Medica by Dioscorides and the 37-volume natural history written by Pliny the Elder. Some of these earlier works are known to us through translations into Arabic by Rhazes and Avicenna. The knowledge of medicinal plants was further nurtured by monks in Europe who studied and grew medicinal plants and translated the Arabic works.
The first "licensed" apothecary shops opened in Baghdad in the 9th century. by the 13th century, London became a major trading center in herbs and spices. Much adulteration occurred in this trade , because proper standards and quality control of medicinal plants had not been established. Poorly identified plants and substitutes for true medical herbs were sold everywhere. In 1753, Carolus Linnaeus introduced the binomial system of plant nomenclature, which helped in the identification of plants. With the subsequent publication of pharmacopoeias, the method of identification and the standard of quality for each drug was clearly defined.
The present trend to replace crude plant drugs with their pure active principles started with the pioneering work in the 18th century of Karl Scheele, who isolated organic acids from medicinal plants. This achievement was followed by the isolation of morphine from opium by friedrich Serturner and quinine from cinchona bark by Pierre Pelletier and Josep Caventou. These and similar discoveries opened the door to the field of phytochemistry. Today a vast number of modern drugs are still derived from natural sources; approximately 25% of all prescription contain one or more active ingredients from medicinal plants.
Modern medicine also requires ongoing research in various fields of science as well as the development of clinical procedures and technologies. 

Traditional Medicine and Medical Plants

Knowledge about traditional medicines in Indonesia is quite extensive because of the great diversity in local cultures. Unlike Chinese traditional medicine which relies mostly on the use of animal parts, Indonesia traditional medicine makes use of plants, particularly those growing in the forest.
From the beginning, the forest and traditional peoples have formed a unit leading to a way of life which is interactive and mutually beneficial. Nowadays, many traditional peoples can be found living in or around conservation areas. It is here that knowledge about the use of traditional medicines and healing practise in daily life can be found.
One example of a traditional people still following this way of life, and who know about medical plants, are the Dayak who live in the area of the Kayang Mentarang Naturese Reserve in East Kalimantan. The umak Tukung Kenyah Dayak from Long Sungai Barang, Apo Kayan, in the southern part of this reserve, for example, recognize 213 types of medical plants. They use medicinal plants to treat over seventeen major kinds of health problems, including skin disease, stomach ailments, nerve disorders, poisoning, child birth, bone and joint problems, eye problems, blood circulation, and high blood pressure.
Plant species from the ginger family (Zingiberaceae) are the most commonly found ingredients in traditional medicine with nineteen species used. The next most commonly found medicinal plant ingredients are from the coffee family (Rubiaceae) with eleven plant species used.
The variety in the types of plants used is also reflected in the variety of their habitats. Medicinal plants grow in the local gardens, cultivated fields, at the side of footpaths, along riverbanks, in young secondary forest (bekan), in mature secondary forest (jekau) and in primary forest (empak). About 70 percent of the medicinal plants and poisons grow wild.
The parts of the plants that are used also vary. However, the parts most commonly used are the leaves, the stem, the roots, and rhizome. The method for making and applying the medicines and poisons is still quite simple. The preparation of traditional medicine usually only involves pressing, pounding and boiling or burning the ingredients.
Many different peoples in Indonesia still have knowledge of traditional medicine. However, very few people have shown an interest in carrying out research on these medicines. The total number of medicinal plants species to be found in Indonesia is not yet even known. A rough estimate by Alrasyid (1991) maintains that Indonesia's forests may have as many as 9,606 such species while PT. Eisai Indonesia (1986) lists, 3,689 species of pharmaceutical plants. Zuhud, Ekarelawan and Riswan (1994) believe that there are 1,260 species of medicinal plants in Indonesia's forests whose uses are known by local and traditional peoples.
There are also not many people who know that a significant amount of export revenue is obtained from the sale of Indonesia's medicinal plants abroad. The export receipts from this type of commodity continue to rise every year, and in 1990, for example, already reached US$11.16 million. The potential of this market could be developed further.
The inventory and investigation of traditional medicine use by Indonesia people should not be postponed any longer. This is not only because the forest habitat where these plants primarily grow is becoming smaller and smaller but also because the people who know about these medicines are aging, with many already having passed away. This situation is like a library on fire - when knowledge of traditional ways vanishes forever. (by Herwarsono and Kim Worm Sorensen)

Several Kinds of Useful Plants in Wetlands

Useful Plants in Wetlands

- Wetlands plants are plants that live in the land that is flooded.
- Wetlands plants, source of food and medicine, and protect the environment    
  from dangers of flooding, water pollution, erosion, etc.
- Wetland is a place where aquatic plants live and reproduce.


Several Kinds of Useful Plants in Wetlands


Jeruju (Holly / Acanthus illicifolius)

This plant usually grows in mangrove forest area. It spread from India to Australia and the Pacific Islands. Jeruju roots used as medicine and wound healing abdominal pain. Jeruju seeds used as a blood cleanser that broke out in boils and as de-worming for children.






Purun (Lepironia articulata)

Except in Indonesia, this plant is also found in Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. Purun can be woven for hats, mats and wrapper tobacco and other goods.










Sambang (Lasia spinosa)

Sambang is a wild plant that grows in swamps, rivers, ponds, ditches and rice fields are no longer cultivated. Spread over Kalimantan, Sumatra and Java. Boiled roots are used as medicine for postpartum women and treatment for heartburn. Sambang leaves are rolled, it is used as external medicine for stomach pains, joints and bones. Boiled leaves can be eaten with rice with spicy taste.




Rumput Payung (Cyperus papyrus)

These plants usually found in swampy marsh African continent. Stems can be woven into mats, rope, and hats. Due to the unique shape, often planted in a pond in front of  House as an ornamental plant. Rumput Payung is basic material for manufacture of the first paper in Egypt.










Bogem (Sonneratia caseolaris)

Bogem is one of 40 tree species in Indonesia that are resistant to sea water. Bogem found in mangroves and tidal rivers. Spreads in Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Polynesia. Roots are often used as a substitute soft cork, leaves and fruit can be eaten or cooked with fish,seeds are used as fish poison, juice from the seeds can be used to protect the luck of rainwater on paper umbrella, In Ternate, sap is used on the skin to kill parasites that cause disease, ash of the seed with other herbs used to cure heartburn.


Genjer (Limnocharis flava)

Genjer is found in convulsions, small rivers, ditches and sewers, is a native plant from Tropical America. Spread to Southeast Asia via the Bogor Botanical Gardens.In West Java, young leaves and flowers is often sold in the market.








Tunjung (Nymphaea lotus)

Plant life in ponds, small rivers, and flower sacred for Hindus. These plants originated from Egypt, but for other types found in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Beautiful water plants are usually grown for decorative pond, can be used for stomach medicine for animals, it's seed wheat flour substitute for bread, eaten as a vegetable.






Padi-padian (Oryza barthii)

Is one of the wild rice species that live in wetlands. For example rice resistant to pests and diseases and can live in brackish water areas. Rice is the staple food while most of the world's population, are the result of crossing various species of wild rice.

Palm Tree

Palm tree is a type of plants preserved in some national park around the world. Palms are perhaps the most striking plants in tropical floras. Their often tall, usually straight, unbrached, woody stems topped by a spreading crown of long-stalked, sometimes huge, fanlike or featherlike, pleated leaves distinguish them from nearly all other forms of vegetation. The palm family is the only family in the order Arecales and is one of the oldest of flowering plants. The palms fossil record traces back to the Triassic Period, about 220 million years ago. Strict application of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature would make Palmae has been accepted as a legitimate alternative. The Palm family compares nearly 2,800 species in 210 or more genera. 


They are widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics; very few species occur in Asia (about 1,385 species), particularly in the Indo-Malayan region, and in tropical America (about 1,147 species). especially in northeastern South America. Only about 117 species are native to Africa. One of the hardiest of the tree palms is the windmill palm, Trachycarpus fortunei, of eastern Asia, which is cultivated outdoors in milder maritime climates as far north as Vancouver, Canada. The most cold-tolerant palm is the needle palm, Rhapidophyllum hystrix of the southeastern United States: it can survive temperatures of 21 C (-6 F). 


In addition to the commonly recognized treelike forms, which may reach 30 m (100 ft) high, there are those with stems completely underground and those with vine like steams. The long, thin, rope like stems of the rattan palms, Calamus and Daemonorops, which may climb 60 m (200 ft) into the treetops, are the rattan cane used commercially. The leaves of the faffia palms, Raphia, are the largest in the plant kingdom, exceeding 20 m (65 ft) in length, and are the source of raffia fiber. 


Palm flower are typically small and may be borne singly, in pairs, in threes (triads), in small clusters (cincinni), in small lines (acervuli), or in large clusters (panicles). The flower cluster or segments are often enclosed at their bases by a leaflike spathe (bract), which is frequently yellowish in color. Palm flowers may be bisexual but are usually unisexual. Palm trees are usually monoecious, bearing both mare and female unisexual flowers on the same tree, but some species are dioecious, with separate male and female trees, or polygamous, with both unisexual and bisexual flowers on the same tree. Palm fruit is botanically a berry, nut, or drupe, depending in part upon the structure of the flower ovary. The coconut (with husk) is a drupe, a fruit technically like that of the peach but dry and fibrous instead of fleshy. Since prehistory, palms have provided thatch for shelter; fibers for weaving, plaiting, and basketry; timber for constructing buildings, tools, and utensils; leaves for clothing and food; and sap for beverage. Throughout tropical Asia the commonest palm product in use is the fruit of the betel-nut palm, Areca Catechu, which is chewed as a stimulant. 
The sap drawn tapping the unopened flower buds of several kinds of palm produces palm wine, or toddy, as from Caryota urens; an alcoholic beverage called arrack, from Cocos nucifera; or sugar, from Borassus flabellifer and Arenga pinnata. Formost among African palms is the date palm, Phoenix dactylifera, cultivated since ancient times throughout the Middle East. 
Many countries use palm oil - as a vegetable oil, in Margarine and sweets, in in pharmaceuticals, and in the manufacture of soaps, candles, and lubricating greases. The oil palm tree, Elaeis guineensis native to Africa but now widely cultivated in others areas, is the most important source of palm oil.