Pineapples of Johan Setia

Johan Setia is located down south of Klang ( known as Port Swettenham during the colonial days ), along the fertile western coastal of Malayan peninsular.

Peat soil predominate the area.  It is loosened with high water level,  making it not suitable for tall upright crops such as oil palm and fruit trees.  They tend to toppled or slanted easily.

  

Yet, peat soil is ideal for pineapple cultivation, and many other food crop such as tapioca, sweet potato, sugarcane, and all kinds of greens.

The pineapple varieties planted include :

Josapine

MD2

Sarawak

Yankee

TV1 meets IOI @ Floria 2013

Mawar kena interview wartawan TV1

kononnya disiar besok lusa kat MHI

rehearsal 

before shooting, gather info dulu konon

  

cakap sendiri...

ok !  stand by...

wartawan : "konsep in siapa punya idea ?"
Mawar :"eee.. idea siapa ye?!"

 close-up...  nervous ke ?

NG !!!  one more take !

Trichosanthes dioica - Potol

Potol ( in Bengali ), or parwal ( in Hindi ), or parol ( in Nepali ) is Trichosanthes dioica, is a gourd widely cultivated in eastern part of India, Nepal and even Bangladesh.  

Pointed gourd is a vine plant of the Cucurbitaceae family.  It is perennial, dioecious, with heart-shaped leaves.  The gourds are green or with white or no stripes.   Size can vary from 6 to 10 inches. 

  

The pointed gourd in recently brought into Malaysia by Bangladeshi and Nepali foreign workers.  Today, it found its way into local markets and night markets as well, yet the locals have yet to acquire the taste for it.  It is used as ingredients of soup, stew, curry, sweet or stir-fried.

It is a good source of carbohydrate, vitamin A, vitamin C, and other major nutrients and trace elements.

Khaya senegalensis

Khaya senegalensis is a tree of the Meliaceae family native to tropical and savannah Africa.

It is commonly known as African mahogany, Gambia mahogany, and Senegal mahogany.  The timber of Khaya is called African mahogany, the only timber widely accepted as mahogany besides the true mahogany ( Swietenia mahogany ).

The leaves are pinnate.  Flowers are small, yellowish, loose inflorescences, 4-petals.  Fruit is a capsule with 4 globose, dehiscent.  Seeds winged.

Khaya senegalensis is a fast growing tree, capable to grow up to 30 meters in height within years.  The wood is harvested for carpentry, construction, dugout canoes, etc.  the bitter tasting bark is used as folk medicine for fever, stomach aches, headaches etc.

Although K. senegalensis is widely planted for commercial and landscaping, it is still considered a vulnerable species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

flower, yellowish in loose inflorescence

fruit capsule, dehiscent  while attached to tree

fruit capsules, dehiscent showing winged seeds inside

winged seeds

Urena lobata - Pulut-Pulut

Urena lobata is an annual shrub of the family Malvaceae.  It is widely distributed in the tropics, probably of Asiatic origin.

  

Urena lobata’s flowers are about 2-3cm diameter, 5-merous, with brilliant pink petals, almost similar to those of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, only smaller.   The fruits are partially spherical schizocarp, 5-compartment, barbed.

In Malaysia, it is known as pulut-pulut, or pulut lembu.  It grows on wastelands as well as cultivated lands as weeds.  It has been declared a noxious weed in Fiji.  The stem fibers are used for making carpets and rope in Brazil and Zaire.

Ageratum conyzoides

Ageratum conyzoides ( commonly known as Billygoat-weed, Chick weed, Goatweed, Whiteweed ) is a annual weed originated from tropical America.  Although it is now naturalized locally, it is still not very well known among locals.  

A. conyzoides has little known uses.  It is more being a noxious weed colonizing roadsides, plantations and wastelands. 

Its uses in folk medicine is limited due to its toxicity.  The plant contains lycopsamine and echinatine.  Ingesting A. conyzoides can cause liver lesions and tumors.  There was a mass poisoning incident in Ethiopia as a result of contamination of grain with A. conyzoides.  However, its potentially an plant-based insecticide and nematicide. 

Knapsack Sprayer : PB