This plant can grow to a height of 2 m. The green leaves, on a long stalk, have 5 to 7 lobes with serrated edges. The flowers have 5 petals that are deep purple or red at the base. Flowers are either yellow or red in colour. Yound fruits are an up-right, 18 cm long. Arranged in 5 chambers. Young fruits should be harvested while still tender as older fruits become fibrous. When ripe, it turns brown and dry with light grey seeds.
As food - The leaves, flower buds and flowers can be cooked and eaten. Leaves are also eaten raw in salads or dried, ground into powder and used as a flavouring. Cooked leaves are also used as a soup thickener. Immature fruits are cooked as vegetables while still tender. When cooked, a slimy substance oozes out of the fruit. This mucilaginous property makes it ideal as a thickener for soup stews and sauces. When sliced, a cross section of the pod reveals a pentagon shape. The can be eaten fresh, pickled or dried. The fruits are a source of vitamin A, calcium and iron. Seeds are cooked or ground and used to make bread or ‘tofu’ or ‘tempeh’. The roasted seeds are the best of the non-caffeinated substitutes for coffee. The greenish-yellow, edible oil extracted from ripe seeds tastes and smells pleasant. Seeds contain 40% of oil. Roots are edible although very fibrous, mucilaginous and without much flavor.
In medicine – The root is used to treat syphilis, cuts, wounds and boils. The fruits, flowers, seeds and roots are used to treat sores and difficult labour. The fruits are used to treat sore throats, painful urination and gonorrhea. The seed are used to treat muscle spasms and induce sweat, as well as a tonic and stimulant.
other uses: The fiber from the stems are extracted and used to make sacks and ropes, as well as paper and textiles.
Other: The hairs on the fruit may cause skin irritation in some people so it is advisable to wear gloves when harvesting the fruits
Paw licking and biting in some dogs are common behavioural observations. Causes include boredom, allergies and infections.
Infections include demodectic mites, fungal and bacteria.
The owner did not want a food allergy trial or blood test for allergens. Treatment is with anti-mite and anti-fungal washes for 2 weeks with anti-fungal medication. Review in 4 weeks.
PHOTOS FOR SALE Singapore wildlife: Green spiders in Singapore
A very rare sighting. On 16 Oct 2020, in Yio Chu Kang Crescent, I saw two green spiders of less than 0.4 inches long.
GREEN LYNX SPIDERS
Green lynx spiders seen in Singapore Yio Chu Kang Crescent. The adult is less than 1 inch long. They don't spin a web but pounce on the prey with their legs, like a lynx cat. The following image shows a young spider at around 0.4 inches long.
Peucetia viridans, the green lynx spider, is a bright-green lynx spider usually found on green plants. It is the largest North American species in the family Oxyopidae. This spider is common in Jamaica.
The species name, viridans, is Latin for "becoming green". It should not be confused with either
The body of the female may be as much as 22 millimeters (0.87 in) long. The male is smaller, being more slender and averaging 12 millimeters (0.47 in) in length. There often is a red patch between the eyes, with a few red spots on the body. The eye region is clothed with white appressed hairs.
The dorsal surface of the abdomen bears about six Chevron-like marks with the centres pointing forward. The legs are green to yellow, bearing long black spines such as appear on the legs of most species of Oxyopidae, and with a generous scattering of black spots. Peucetia viridans is confusingly similar to Peucetia longipalpis, the other Peucetia species to occur in the United States, but Peucetia longipalpis tends to have a shorter, fatter, more domed abdomen, with less pronounced markings in its upper surface.
Late in the season Peucetia viridans is prone to change its colour from predominantly green to paler yellow, typically with streaks of reddish, suggesting degradation of the tetrapyrrole pigment in the blood. Gravid females may change their color to fit their background. This takes about 16 days.[1]
The green lynx spider very seldom bites humans, and when it does, its venomous bite, though painful, is not deadly[3] but may cause surrounding swelling (edema) up to 7"-10" in diameter.[4]
The species is primarily of interest for its usefulness in agricultural pest management, for example in cotton fields. The spiders have been observed to hunt several moth species and their larvae, including some of the most important crop pests, such as the bollworm moth (Heliothis zea), the cotton leafworm moth (Alabama agrillacea), and the cabbage looper moth (Trichoplusia ni). However, they also prey on beneficial insects, such as honey bees.[5]
Female green lynx spider
Green lynx spider
By Vengolis - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71549668
Lynx spiders are hunters specialized for living on plants. This species does not use a web to capture its prey. In our region, it often lies in wait for insects in the blooms or on the pads of prickly pear, for which its bright green color offers ideal camouflage. It pounces on its prey in a cat-like manner, which is the reason for the name “lynx.” It is active during the day.