Definitives Pond Life
2013
(Date of issue : 20 Mar 2013)
Ponds
are teeming with both animal and plant life.
It supports a large variety of animal and plant life such as birds,
crayfish, small fishes, frogs, insects, algae and water lilies. In fact, a pond is a fascinating habitat to
study, a good one teeming with a great variety of both animal and plant
life. If a pond is to be a successful
habitat, it must have aquatic plants growing in its as they provide food,
oxygen and shelter for the animals. In
this stamp issue, we feature two of these interesting pond plants, namely the
Geli Geli or Lasia spinosa (1st Local stamp) and the Water Gentian
or Nymphoides indica (2nd local stamp).
Geli Geli (Lasia
spinosa)
The
Lasia spinosa is an obscure member of the yam family, Araceae. The common names of this plant include simply
lasia, unicorn plant (probably due to the appearance of its inflorescences) and
geli-geli (in Malay).
It
is a perennial tropical and aquatic plant that thrives in a location with
semi-shade to full sun. It can be found
along the banks of rivers and in swamps and is tolerant of waterlogged
conditions.
The
Lasia spinosa is edible and possess medicinal properties. Both the rhizomes and leaves possess
expectorant properties and the leaves are used to treat coughs, stomachaches
and various aches and pains.
Water Gentian
(Nymphoides indica)
Nymphoides
indica or the Water Gentian is also known as the Water Snowflake. It is a pretty, fast-growing, perennial
aquatic plant. A blooming colony indeed
looks like snow-flakes on water.
The
Water Gentian has flat, rounded, floating leaves and delicate white flowers
with yellow centres. The petals have
unusual, feathery edges. The flowers are
formed above the floating leaves with 2-4 cm long stalks. It gets its common name, of floating hearts
because of the heart-shaped, bright green leaves which lie on the water surface
like those of water lilies. Although
they bear some resemblance to water lilies, they are not closely related.
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