Kantan Merah , herba rempah berbunga menawan

https://www.melur.com/product/anak-benih-kantan-merah-2/

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Nama Tempatan: Kantan Merah

Nama Saintifik: Etlingera elatior

synonyms :Phaeomeria speciosa

Nama Lain: Ginger flower

Famili: Zingiberaceae

Kantan diklasifikasikan sebagai Rempah atau perasa dalam masakan. Ia biasa ditanam di halaman rumah terutamanya tempat yang agak lembab. Kantan membiak melalui dua cara iaitu pecahan rizom (anak) dan biji benih. Namun pembiakan melalui biji benih agak jarang dan sukar dilakukan. Digunakan sebagai perasa dalam masakan tertentu. Bunganya pula menjadi bahan perencah yang penting terutamanya untuk laksa dan masakan asam pedas. Buahnya boleh digunakan untuk menghasilkan rasa masam dalam masakan seperti gulai ikan menggantikan asam keping atau asam jawa

KEGUNAAN:

Bunganya boleh mengawet muda. Pokoknya juga boleh menghilangkan bau badan terutamanya bagi wanita yang baru lepas bersalin. Untuk menghilangkan bau badan, ambil beberapa batang pokok kantan yang segar, potong batangnya pendek-pendek dan ditumbuk hingga lumat, Rebuskan hingga mendidih dan gunakan air rebusannya untuk mandi apabila telah sejuk. Untuk menghilangkan rasa kurang bermaya dan hilang selera makan, bijinya ditumbuk hingga lumat, toskan untuk mendapatkan airnya dan dicampurkan dengan segelas air suam dan diminum pada waktu pagi dan sebelum tidur. Amalkannya untuk beberapa kali. Buahnya juga dikatakan dapat menguatkan tenaga batin bagi lelaki dan menghilangkan lendir dalam badan dan kahak juga.

Terdapat beberapa jenis kantan yang biasa ditanam di Malaysia. Jenis yang paling biasa ialah kantan berbunga merah jambu ( pucat dan tua) . Kantan yang biasa digunakan dalam masakan ialah jenis kantan ini. Kantan putih dan merah darah juga ada ditanam tetapi lebih jarang dijumpai. Kantan putih dan merah darah di ketegorikan dalam kumpulan tumbuhan eksotik dan menjadi buruan peminat pokok eksotik(rare). Ia lebih banyak ditanam kerana fungsia hiasan dan perubatannya berbanding untuk masakan

Kantan dibiakkan melalui pecahan rizom( kaedah biasa) dan biji benih (jarang digunakan). Ia tumbuh subur ditempat bertanah lembab. Tidak boleh ditanam dalam medium yang menakung air kerana rizomnya mudah rosak jika terendam air.

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French Marigold

This is the latest flower i brought back home last week.The vibrant red color is so attractive. This is one of the marigold species known as french marigold.

Commmon Name:	French Marigold
Botanical Name:	Tagetes patula
Other Name:
Family:	Asteraceae
Location:	Melur.com
origin:	Americas

French marigold is an annual plants native to Americas. Like other annuals it will live until certain period of time. The flower color range from yellow to red.the flowers normally planted as nectar source for butterflies in the garden.

In some places like Caucasus and Republic of Georgia, the ground dried flower  petals are  used as spices . The popular spices known as imeruli shaphrani( Imeretian saffron) give the unique earthy flavor to Georgian cuisine, compatible to the flavor of cinnamon and cloves.

Apart from the culinary use,  the flower is also use for food  coloring. The medicinal use of the plans come from the essential oil extracted from the flowers.It is used to treat candidiasis (yeast infection) and fungal infection.

Propagation is from the seed. The seed will normally germinated within a few days after sowing . It should be transplanted whe it is approximately 2 inches in height. For more information on how to grow marigold click here

Canna Tubers( Ubi Ganyong)

Common Name: Canna Tubers (Ubi Ganyong)
Botanical Name: Canna edulis
Other Name: Canna discolor L. syn. C. edulis, Queensland arrowroot,buah tasbih, ubi pikul, ganyal, ganyol,sinetra
Family: Cannaceae
Origin: Tropical America

Description:

Canna tubers is a plant of the same species with canna lily, scientific name Canna indica Linn. In fact, in some places like indonesia canna lilly is also called Ganyong hutan ( Wild canna tubers) . The plant has soft stems and grows vertically at the height between 0.9 to 1.8 meters. The leaves shape are rounded and somewhat flattened stems and have regular frond and overlap to form the stem. Leaf is wide, the color is reddish green with elongated elliptical leaves. The fruits are small with the inseide space for seed cavity. The tubers is white or purplish.It can be propagated through fractions of tubers and the new plants generated from the old plants.

Usage:

Although ubi ganyong or canna tubers are less popular compared to other tubers such as sweet potato and cassava it also essential that can be powdered. Powders containing calcium, phosphorus and high carbohydrate makes it good for the development of strong bones and teeth, especially to chidren. Ganyong flour can be prepared as can be prepared as cakes, puddings, breads and noodles. The usage of the flour is as the same as the use of cornstarch. The harvesting period of Ubi ganyong depends on the usage.Young roots can be harvested if the preparation is by boiling the tubers and eat as it is. The harvesting should be done when tubers were older if the purpose is make the flour. jelly is usually produced using seaweed. Apart from seaweed, canna tubers also can be prepared as home-cooked jelly. Jelly from canna tubers easy to prepare and can be done at home . The Method is to prepare t canna starch first . The process to produce the canna starch is similar to the process of getting other starches. Ratio of 5 kg grated old canna tubers is mixed with 5 liters of water, it is filtered and the husk removed. Then precipitated starch solution for a day to get the gist. The precipitate is then dried. To prepate the jelly , starch is boiled , add enough flavor and dyes and cooled before being cut. Canna tubers medically used to treat inflammation of the urinary tract. The method is by adding 40g to 30g canna tubers with ca whiskers leaves (Orthosiphon aristatus), lalang root 20g and 600 ml of water. all boiled for 15 minutes. Drin it hot every morning and afternoon. The tubers is also used to reduce the heat in the body. 30g Canna tubers along with 30g temu lawak and 700 ml of boiling water are boiled for 15 minutes and drink hot 2 times a day.

Beluru or Akar Sintok

Local name: Beluru or Akar Sintok
Botanical name: Entada Spiralis
Family: Leguminosae
Description
Beluru is liana with the wooden stem. It grows in the forest as a climber to the big tree. It can be propagated by seed and stem cutting. The fruit looks like a giant bean with seed that has a hard shell, green when young and turn to be black when matured.

The bark can be used as syampoo to clean the scalp.The seed also can be used for the same purpose.

More info ( in Bahasa Malaysia ) at: Melur.com

Plant Hospital

Normally when a plant is dying what i did is i cover the whole plant with a big plastic bag. Including the pot if the plant is small or only the top part ( the part with leave or where the leave should be). Give the plant 1 or 2 weeks and the new healthy shoot will grow. The purpose of cover it with plastic bag is to give the plant as much moisture to accelerate the new shoot growth.

Then i read in a book "ingenious gardening" by Deborah L. martin, another way to treat sick plant is by using a plastic soda bottle... you know, soft drink big plastic bottle. With a sharp knife , cut 2 liter plastic bottle into half. We will use the top part as the hospital. Put the top part over the sick plant. it will act like a mini terrarium for the plant.

plants in the drawer

we might have old wooden drawers to scrap. This wooden drawers can be use as a planter for our plant. Drill drainage holes in the bottom.We can also use the drawers for rooting cutting.The idea also fit for growing veggie.

The flowering bulb

Last few weeks we went to cameron highland. Every visit to cameron highland wont be a complete one without visiting the Mardi Agro park in Tanah rata. What i like most about this place is they always have new things. The last time we went there before this one, i was introduced to blackberry ( not the phone) by one on the worker there , uncle krishnan. He was so so kind and helpfull and want to explain everything about this plant, he even give me a few cutting (already have root) but unfortunately it never survive long in my garden.

so the latest visit , there was something new in the park, The tulips and a few more flowering bulb that i cannot recognize.

Jade Vine

common name:Jade Vine
Botanical name:Strongylodon macrobotrys
Family:Fabaceae/Leguminosae
Other name:Tayabak(Philipine),Jade climber,
Origin: Philipine

A special evergreen vine with jade to blue flower. one thing uniue about this plant is the color was so green blue that you could hardly find in a plant.The structure also really looks like a artifial flower, at first i thought that they purposely hang the artifial flower to the vine.

Jade vine is a native plant in Philiphine and grows in wild in the tropical forest. It prefer neutral to acidic soil. in term of light we can grow jade vine in full sun with some shade in the mid day. Jade wind nomally grown over a pergola or trellis where the upper part is facing the direct sun and the lower under the shade.

a close up of Jade vine flower. This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and birds. it can be propagated by stem cutting and seed.

Other link:
Jade vine at melur.com

Aster