Photography
Bulan November menjadi Bulan Cinta Puspa dan Satwa Nasional. Cara mengekspresikan kecintaan kita terhadapa flora dan fauna Indonesia pertama adalah dengan cara mengenalnya terlebih dahulu. Ada istilah ‘tak kenal, maka tak sayang’, hal ini tidak hanya berlaku kepada sesama manusia, flora dan fauna juga perlu dikenal, apalagi melihat dengan begitu banyak turunan mulai dari satu famili ke genus, dan dari satu genus melahirkan banyak spesies.
Contohnya saja pada flora Plumeria, Plumeria merupakan salah satu genus yang termasuk di dalam famili Apocynaceae. Tanaman-tanaman yang termasuk di dalam famili Apocynaceae dikenal menghasilkan berbagai metabolit sekunder yang digunakan dalam obat-obatan tradisional untuk sakit maag, demam, asma, dan batuk rejan (Heijden, 2004). Sebelumnya, sudah tahukah kalian flora Plumeria?
Plumeria adalah penamaan dari tanaman kamboja atau dalam bahasa Inggris disebut ‘frangipani’. Bunga pada tanaman kamboja sudah sangat terkenal dan pastinya tidak asing bagi yang senang berkunjung ke Pulau Dewata, karena bunga cantik ini menjadi ikon. Di Bali, kamboja ditanam di berbagai titik dan dijadikan keperluan keagamaan serta adat. Sering terlihat masyarakat Bali menyematkan bunga kamboja di bagian belakang telinga.
Asal muasal tanaman kamboja adalah dari Amerika Tengah. Nama plumeria diberikan untuk menghormati Charles Plumier, seorang ahli botanis asal Perancis di abad ke-17. Kamboja dapat tumbuh di daerah tropis dan sub tropis dan iklim tropis Indonesia sesuai dengan kebutuhan tumbuh bunga kamboja. Bunga pada kamboja memiliki keunikan yang khas yaitu beraroma harum saat malam hari.
Kamboja dapat tumbuh subur di dataran rendah sampai ketinggian tanah 700 m di atas permukaan laut. Ciri khas tanaman ini mudah tumbuh dan berkembang biak serta tidak memerlukan perawatan khusus. Tanaman kamboja dapat bertahan hidup sampai ratusan tahun karena merupakan tanaman sekulen yaitu jenis tanaman yang dapat menyimpan air pada seluruh bagian mulai dari akar, batang, daun, dan bunganya.
Based on a review of several scientific studies, in the morphology of Cambodia have traits among others woody stem is round and hard, twisted branches 5. On bark of young has a green color and will turn into gray due to the aging of the stem. The time of flowering, the branch will lose leaves and just look like a dead tree with bare branches.
The leaves have various forms, among others, shaped lanset with tapered tip and the base of the leaves, thick and green, as well as the bones of the leaves stand out. Then there are the narrow-leaf types and some are the tip of the daunya taper, but not rounded. In addition there is the leaf at the base narrowing, but at the end of the post. The long leaves are generally sized 15-20 cm. width of leaves While range 6 – 12.5 cm (Random House Australia, 1999).
The most favorite is on the flower, the flower of Cambodia has a size of 8-12 cm diameter Crown of flowers generally amounted to five strands and has a distinctive fragrance. Crown of flowers have funnel with a narrow rim and the sides of the inside, smooth-haired. The form of the corolla is not monotonous, there are entitled to wide and rounded Crown of long, narrow and twisting (rolling). In addition, there is a Crown-shaped oval until the Star (Little, 2006).
The interest of Cambodia is currently not just yellow and white but there are different types of crosses new pink, orange, red, and dark red. Based on scientific sources, as of 2004, there were more than 600 cultivars of Cambodia that has been registered from all over the world and is increasing from year to year. It is estimated there are more than 15,000 cultivars of Cambodia around the world that are being developed by collectors and cultivators (Little, 2006). International Agency official who registered cultivars of Cambodia is The Plumeria Society of America (PSA).
Behind the beauty in flowers, plants of Cambodia regarded as plants that spooky or eerie ' impressed ' by the public because it is often also found in funeral/cemetery. Nonetheless, Cambodia contains many compounds where nutritious is good for the body. Utilization of natural medicine as antibacterial by society and rarely cause any side effects, one of which is on Cambodian flowers (Plumeria alba).
Flowers white Cambodia contains several important chemical compounds which are antibacterial, namely flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, steroids and these Terpenoids. In studies of the research in the journal Purgiyanti Nurcahyo and Thinkers vol. 6 (2017), explained that white Cambodia contains essential oils. The essential compounds are very useful, among others, may give a relaxing effect, reduces stress, and repel mosquitoes.
In addition, the study Luh Putu Wrasiati dkk Udayana University cited in Journal of biology (2011), explains that nowadays especially in Bali, Cambodia's flower extracts are widely used in beauty products such as body lotions, scrubs, soaps baths, aroma therapy and solution. Cambodian dried flowers beside used as raw incense or joss sticks are also used to a limited extent in homes beauty and by the vegetarian as a drink known as ' frangipani ' tea or herbal tea of Cambodia