Anodyne Posted January 21, 2014 I would love to grow this amazing plant, it has such beautiful flowers... doesn't seem to be widely cultivated though - I can't find anyone selling plants or seeds. Does anyone out there grow it or know of a source? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dreamwalker. Posted January 21, 2014 I think the fruits may be edible.......if you don't have any luck.............could try a post at http://tropicalfruitforum.com 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted January 21, 2014 Thankyou for the link Dreamwalker - I've read the fruit described as "edible but not appealing" I was wondering why the flowers looked so familiar - then it dawned on me that its particular spiky spherical shape is a visual motif that I've been seeing for decades, when sleep-deprived or in other altered states. I wonder if it's been calling to me all this time? I know people have spirit animals, can you have a spirit plant? It has interesting pharmacological potential, but also I just feel a connection to this plant and would like to grow it. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jox Posted January 21, 2014 Hey mate, Looks like a very interesting plant, I might be able to get seeds or cuttings of a Nauclea spp (most likely N.orientalis) in the future for you. I have a mate who bought a property which has about 10 Nauclea trees growing on it. He asked me to work out what kind of trees they were & I had come to the conclusion they must be N.orientalis, do you know how to tell them apart? I have photos of the trees/bark/leaves but none of it in flower. If you like I can post some photos. Cheers Jox 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted January 21, 2014 (edited) No sorry, I've got no idea how to distinguish between the two when not flowering. But if you ever see the flowers, the latifolia look like they have pale yellow petals & stamens, while the orientalis have deep yellow-orange petals and white stamens. N. latifolia And N.orientalis... I think you're right and your mate's trees are most likely orientalis, the native Nauclea. Which doesn't sound so interesting medicine-wise, I think it was used traditionally as an emetic - bleh! Awesome flowers though, if my garden was bigger I'd grow it just for them, but I do prefer multipurpose plants - what's the phrase, "functional beauty"? If I can't track down latifolia I might try to grab some seeds sometime? Spins me out every time I look at those pictures now, it's like a visual deja-vu. Thankyou very much for the offer! Edited January 21, 2014 by Anodyne 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lofty86 Posted January 24, 2014 http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2013/09/african-plant-natural-source-tramadol bet the race is on to get this one into Oz guys lol, and yes N.Orientalis fruits are a bush food of the northern tribes, taste bitter as slight histamine release, with nausea and vomiting to follow, so i wouldnt rule that one out if your interested in a little research either ;) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted January 24, 2014 (edited) Shhh, don't tell everyone! Remember what happened to kratom? Actually I was amazed that there was no discussion on here, it was months ago that they discovered that. Apparently naucleas have lovely wood as well, and latifolia is also being investigated for antiinflammatory and antimalarial components. With so many possible commercial uses I'm concerned that the wild populations will be in danger from overharvesting before long - other naucleas around the world are already threatened. I have a painful & degenerative spinal problem which already sucks at age 30, so I think that I'm really going to want a few of these trees when I get old. I'll be able to treat my arthritis and malaria (you know it's only a matter of time) with the bark and then use the wood to start building a boat for when the sea levels rise. Just thinkin' ahead Ah well, hopefully someone goes collecting on their West-African holiday before this species is endangered or banned. It sounds like possibly the most awesome plant ever, and I would be honoured to grow it. People on here have tried orientalis with no pleasant effects - I think it really is just an emetic. One of the other African Nauclea's like diderrichii might be a better bet for research. Edited January 24, 2014 by Anodyne 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lofty86 Posted January 24, 2014 lol its been all over facebook for weeks, suprised it hadnt been mentioned here earlier too, and well if facebook knows the authorities would be well aware by now so im sure i havnt ruined it for anyone, merely being informative, the only way i can see it going the way of kratom is if some greedy bastard started selling it at a high price online Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted January 24, 2014 Nah, it's no big secret - published scientific paper and all that - I was just kidding. Well, mostly kidding. It's not really online vendors that ruin these things, it's dumb kids overdosing on the things they bought from those vendors, then their parents getting outraged and getting the authorities involved. And where do dumb kids get their info? Well I dunno actually, but this is where I got mine. Seems to be a non-issue anyway, at least until someone starts trading them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted January 24, 2014 Damn, and now everyone's going to think I was joking about the flowers. That was all true! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted January 29, 2014 Looks like latifolia will be tough to find, if not impossible. If anyone is planning a trip to Cameroon or thereabouts give me a shout, I'd be happy to help a collection effort in any way I can. In the meantime, I can't get those flowers out of my head. Jox, I'd love to take you up on the offer of some orientalis seeds if you see some? From what I've read the seed needs to be very fresh, and the fruiting season is probably almost over - so it might be too late for this season, I'm not sure? And in answer to your question, your friend's trees might have been planted for the wood - apparently it makes a very nice carving wood, which is also water and pest resistant, and so is great for making boats. Hence the name Nauclea, from the same Greek root as "nautical". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lofty86 Posted January 29, 2014 N.Orientalis is native to my region theres probly like 20 in my yard, along the river here in town theres even preservation efforts for one thats over 150yrs old, (if any ones ever in Mackay its the Leichhardt tree on river st with the fence around it) they were seeding back in oct/nov wet seasons come late this year but if i see any seedlings pop up after the rain ill let you know 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
incognito Posted August 15, 2014 How did u go ano? I can't seem to find any online vendors of seed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted August 15, 2014 Damn my heart leapt when I saw this thread reappear. You bastard. I would've accepted an ebola-infected latifolia anyday. No luck. When seeds finally appear on ebay, I'm betting long odds they'll be mislabelled orientalis or something. I think a collection expedition was the only was this was gonna happen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slocombe Posted August 16, 2014 If you're after Orientalis there's someone in WA selling seeds on eBay quite cheap. They've been up for months and months so I doubt they're the freshest, but there you go. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lofty86 Posted August 17, 2014 (edited) deleted post (thought a link had dissapeared just couldnt see it on my phone) Edited August 17, 2014 by lofty86 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ozfruitist Posted August 15, 2020 I managed to get seed of Nauclea latifolia which are growing strongly in their first year. Hopefully I’ll have some plants to share in the coming months 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
