fyzygy
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Posts posted by fyzygy
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The khat "quid" is often stored in the pouch of the cheek when not being chewed. It's usually tender shoots of stems, rather than mature leaves, that are bundled for commercial sale and consumption. But that's only what I've read, in books. IMO, you can safely swallow the "bits" (edulis = edible, and khat contains numerous vitamins and minerals).
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I notice that water kefir grains are sourced from prickly pear pads -- are these just the grains I've seen forming naturally from cut Opuntia pads? Water kefir seems less fussy to ferment than kombucha. I'd give it a shot, if someone had grains to spare (do they tend to multiply, like kombucha SCOBY?)
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8 minutes ago, Alchemist said:The calea I grew and also the batches I've purchased over the years didnt taste all that bad, almost nice actually.Most testimonials complain about the aweful bitterness.
My plant tastes extremely bitter. I've got a lot of dried leaf collected if you want to try it. Or a clone of the plant to grow yourself, ready to go.
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Have you tried calea regularly, i.e. over successive nights? (I haven't, but have heard a rumour).
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It's bioregionally incorrect. Or maybe just bad economics. YMMV.
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I'm very happy with mine, especially the colours. Not too small either. Things like rib count are probably more reliable indicators of maturity than size alone. My buttons have grown smaller over the past year, in a stone-rich mixture: more compact, but hardier.
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2 hours ago, ZooL said:a bed of broken egg shells around the base of plants, apparently snails and slugs wont cross them
Not true, in my experience. And probably unsuitable for calciphobes.
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^ I thought the copper tape works without electrical current? The problem being it comes loose, gets tarnished, etc. and copper isn't cheap. (Neither are 9v batteries).
Beer and Vegemite is said to be a low-toxic bait to trap/drown snails.
Personally, I don't kill snails but relocate them to the nature strip - knowing full well they'll probably find their way back. We have hundreds of snails, many of them congregate around a potted cactus without even nibbling it. Once, deep inside an overgrown cluster of TBM, I found a whole community of snails, of all sizes. And not so much as a nibble on that plant. Beautiful creatures. I've learned to live with them, but not to put a punnet of seedlings anywhere within their reach.
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Yes, PM if you want to discuss options.
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Sounds promising. I hope the positive effects increase over time. Would sub-lingual also work while avoiding toxic effects? Which Acorus species (and plant parts) have you been concentrating your efforts on? One plant that you sent me looks like a variegated sweet flag, I think you mentioned that it had been traditionally used among Japanese to treat stuttering?
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Someone contacted me saying they'd recently applied via gmail, but hadn't yet had their account validated.
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This plant is seed-grown. It wasn't the strongest contender from a batch of mixed-variety seed a SAB forum member kindly gifted me, but turned out to be the only survivor (due to gardener's negligence). New growth often shows this slight variegation. It's a random from a batch of seed that included Vienna white, among others. Can anyone positively ID this khat variety? Or suggest likely genetics? I've always referred to it as the green one, because I've never seen a hint of red on the foliage.
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I think humidity is their enemy, especially early on. Seeds I bought from the UK came with (generic) instructions to remove from greenhouse at first sign of germination. I didn't -- and within a day or two of sprouting my first seedling had simply vanished. I had a couple that succumbed to damping off a few weeks later. Eventually I got 3 plants out of 20 or more seeds. Going easy on the watering is probably key -- personally I wouldn't recommend coco coir or anything that holds water. They grow natively at the base of cliffs, which implies a lot of stony rubble. They thrive in arid environments, tolerating a bit more water in summer. It seems to me that the production of offsets (plantlets) is the plant's primary reproductive strategy (and they're one of the easiest plants to clone). Many seedpods contain under-sized seeds, and even if of a decent size, germination rates are notoriously low. 10-20% sounds about right, in my experience. Someone suggested to cold-stratify the seeds, but I've not bothered with any special treatments. Full sunlight is okay, except harsh summer sun can cause them to wilt.
S. recognita is listed among "difficult to propagate" salvias by the Victorian Salvia Study Group.
Some info I found in an eBook:
“TYPE, HABIT, AND SIZE A hardy perennial with a woody basal leaf clump 12 inches (30 cm) tall and 18 inches (45 cm) wide and with flowering stems 24–30 inches (60–75 cm) tall.
HARDINESS Zone 6
ORIGIN Turkey
CULTIVATION Grows best in arid climates. Prefers very well drained, lean soil and occasional water in summer.
LANDSCAPE USE A perennial for the xeric landscape.”
Excerpt From: John Whittlesey. “The Plant Lover's Guide to Salvias.” Apple Books. -
Packs of 10 seeds. Freshly harvested. Limited number available. $10 including postage, or trade for other botanicals.
“TYPE, HABIT, AND SIZE A hardy perennial with a woody basal leaf clump 12 inches (30 cm) tall and 18 inches (45 cm) wide and with flowering stems 24–30 inches (60–75 cm) tall.
HARDINESS Zone 6
ORIGIN Turkey
CULTIVATION Grows best in arid climates. Prefers very well drained, lean soil and occasional water in summer.
LANDSCAPE USE A perennial for the xeric landscape.”Excerpt From: John Whittlesey. “The Plant Lover's Guide to Salvias.” Apple Books.
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First flowers emerging, from one of my potted specimens, around 3 years old.
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Last of a batch. Best till last. PM if interested in trade.
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On 16/05/2017 at 1:16 PM, bardo said:Also I am trying to find a good book on Australian acacia identification, if any one knows of any good books on this subject I would love to know.
Has any body got an opinion on the book, Acacias of Australia by Marion Simmons ?
Acacias of Australia was eventually published in 2 volumes. I have the first volume, original edition. The illustrations are amazing. I was disappointed that there were no entries for some of the more renowned ethnobotanical species. Information is aimed at horticulturists, very little on traditional use as food or medicine. Incredibly detailed drawings, and a glossary too, make this a good reference for botanists.
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If there is rot you would do better to expose those parts to sunlight and ventilation, rather than bury them. Horizontal takes longer, in my experience, for both roots and pups to form. It's hard to say why some cuttings throw pups and even flowers in preference to roots, no matter which way they're oriented.
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1 hour ago, Ishmael Fleishman said:At the moment these two cuttings do not have roots, if I cut of the top would that be a concern?
It could put energy into making pups, rather than roots. But it could already be putting energy into fighting an infection, rather than root production. I'd be keeping water well away from it, for the time being.
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That's a cool plant. Too bad people don't divulge their sources, because private custodians often respond positively if you ask nicely. Why not cut the rotted tips off? You might be able to trim some of the excised material for grafting, as I'm sure others would be happy to add this one to their collections. And it's the right season for new pups to form on the planted stumps. Good score.
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Virtually flawless specimen of a pachanoi (TPM) x peruvianus (TPC) hybrid. 18cm tip cut.
PM if interested.
Technique for chewing leaves (e.g. khat/salvia)
in Ethnobotany
Posted
You can always brew a tea from the leaf, for cathine and norephedrine (but no cathinone). I'm pretty sure I've read of a liquid khat extract being commercially available in some markets.
Has anyone tried a masticating juicer with fresh khat leaf?