occidentalis

What Acacia species are you after? You may be able to get tubestock pretty cheap if you are looking for WA species. And yes the place in Albany has a good collection and a good reputation in the industry.

OK I'm not sure about longifolia but I have experience with other Myoporaceae Expect low viability use a file or blade to shave into the woody fruit If you can excise the seed without damaging it, that would be better as there may be germination inhibitors in the fruit. alternating temps seem to be most effective clean damp sand is probably your best medium although if you want to go high tech put the excised seeds on water agar or agar + GA3. You may find more specific info about longifolia as it is one of the most studied species. Dell is one author that I remember has done some work but there was another PhD thesis from 1994, possibly Richardson or something, that was quite good - some papers from that may be available.

You won't see many between Perth and Bunbury. Occurrence is essentially in a band between Kalbarri and Esperance, with scattered outliers. Look for wandoo. Because of their ubiquity throughout the drier areas they have spread and there are often populations along highways due to seed spread by vehicles which is what you may have seen. The species is highly variable, the most obvious variation is phyllode form, as mentioned, but seed size and morphology seems to be another variable characteristic. There were something like 9 subspecies recognised but they have since mostly been given full species status, although at the moment most only have phrase names (PhD there if anyone wants it). All deserve analyses (which have no doubt been done, publication pending). There are easily recognisable broad and narrow phylloded forms. The narrow (really terete) one is found in drier areas further north. There is a gradation to A. burkittii which was previously classified as a subspcies of A. acuminata. Acacia burkittii tends to occur further north and east in drier country (pastoral zone, midwest, and sometimes in the mallee extending through SA to NSW. You may find similar things out there which deserve analysis and should always be vouchered, strange creatures are out there!). I have generally found it on rocky outcrops and calcrete breakaways around claypans (always lots of aboriginal artwork near these areas too!), but these specimens are generally small. Larger trees occur on riverbanks but are less common. I would like to see a comparative analysis of plants from each of these locations and see what role environment plays in chemistry. From the most recent acuminata analyses I have heard of I recall there was no 5Meo in the test material. This was contrary to expectations from smoked bioassay. Chemistry and subjective experience (qualitatively and quantitatively) are similar in variability to morphology. Just a hint, most WA ethnobotanists are not very keen to answer noob questions about WA wattles... it is understandable as an area of interest, but if you are not prepared to get in the car and find some plants and do some science yourself, you won't get much sympathy here, and you won't get any assistance if your interest is purely rape and pillage. The phylogeny and ethnobotany of WA Acacias is IMO one of the most fascinating topics out there... easily akin to Trichocereus in complexity. Jump in and get your feet wet .

http://www.tga.health.gov.au/cm/consult/co...ation.htm#notes The TGA are proposing to declare (under Section 7 of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989) that goods presented for oral consumption in tablet, capsule or pill form are therapeutic goods, to "clarify regulatory requirements for industry". Should this initial consultation indicate that the Section 7 Declaration is warranted, a full regulatory impact statement would be prepared. This means that any health supplement, such as herbal preparations or even spirulina in capsule form would be considered a therapeutic good and the TGA will have the power to say how and from where you are allowed to purchase and use it. While this may not necessarily result in massive changes for many products, personally I feel that the TGA is not an organisation to be trusted to do the right thing for those of us who use, manufacture, or have other interests in alternative or herbal medicines. The less control they have the better. Feel free to disagree with me on this point - perhaps allowing them to control everything will solve the following grave problem but personally I sense that this will just give them more chances to fuck us over and further the move towards complete corporate control of health care. You are invited to provide comment on the proposed Section 7 Declaration: that products in capsule, tablet or pill form are therapeutic goods by close of business on Monday 30 November 2009. Read the page linked at the top of this post for info on how to present your submission.

Acacia acuminata occurs as far north as Kalbarri, and you might find scattered populations a little further There is also a complex of related species which Maslin is still working on (they have phrase names at the moment, things like A. sp. Small Seed). There are a few interesting ones on the south coast. It certainly grades into burkittii along the eastern boundary, in the dry country you can commonly find burkittii growing on top of calcrete breakaways around salt pans However in these locations the plants are too small to bother with and I have never attempted an analysis You may ocassionally find a larger specimen (but then, is it a narrow-phyllode acuminata?) growing along a creekline. From one expert I have heard that burkittii essentially grades into the maidenii/obtusifolia group on the east coast - making a continent-wide gradient of species. although have heard this contested by others. A very interesting complex of phylogenetically and biochemically.

Hi everyone, I have been here in Cusco and surrounds for nearly three weeks and have done a bit of botanical exploration. Some photos and tips for your own future adventures: Cusco itself is in the mountains, at this time of year it is cool and dry, and there is not much in the way of botany here. There is LOTS of tourism though, this town is a little disgusting in that sense, but plenty of psychedelic tourism as part of that, which is quite interesting/weird/gross/cool all at once: However, you don't have to go all that far to find some pretty cool stuff. First the cacti: Around Cusco, there are several smaller towns featuring some pretty cool ruins such as Pisac and Ollantaytambo. I figured out how to get into these places for free (otherwise you have to buy the tourist ticket for around $30 AU, ouch - pm me for secrets). The ruins are surrounded by by rocky hills which are often covered in peruvianoid Trichs. These are all at Ollantaytambo: And these nice clumps are at Pisac: I spoke to several local plant heads who believed that the cacti from this area are not active. Not a worry - You can get whatever you need in the aptly named San Pedro Market in Cusco:

Not sure if you're asking about Cusco or Machu Picchu ? B asically, Cusco doesn't really have an economy apart from tourism. In the touristed areas of town, you will be hassled by every second person you walk past - to buy their souvenirs (or drugs), have a massage, go to their restaurant or whatever - it's like Bali. It's the worst place I've been to in this regard in 3 months travelling in SA. If you're like me - I left my much-loved SLR at home and bought a compact camera in order to travel light and not flaunt my wealth, and I rarely take photos of people (never without asking), generally try and be humble and respectful to the locals, etc - you will be a little shocked by the behaviour of a lot of the other tourists - sticking huge lenses in the faces of the locals, not bothering to even try and speak spanish (fuck, if you can't be bothered learning how to order a coffee in another language... don't leave home). It's all pretty disgusting. If you were asking about Machu Picchu, well, it's just covered in people. We went the adventurous (pronounced cheap) way and climbed the Inka staircase to the top (btw, if you're in South America and someone mentions "Inka staircase", be very afraid). In the time it took us to get to the top, at least 10 buses went past us on the road loaded with people. All those people were in the ruins when we got to the top, and they just kept coming. In some areas of the ruins you will be standing in a crowd of 100 or more people, and it is really difficult to get a photo of any part of the ruins without people in it. Both - the green ones are cactus and the brown ones are aya!

We did the 'jungle trek' to Machu Picchu (way overpriced, ask me for details and I can explain how to do it without a guide much more cheaply) which goes through some dryish selva (mostly basically a food forest) featuring a many cool things: Coca Coffee Unfortunately didn't get to eat any of these, but they look amazing: And some very funky Orchids Beautiful Brugs: At Machu Picchu, I found this Convolvulaceae growing amongst the ruins - I'm not overly familiar with Rivea/Turbina, anyone got an ID? And of course: Tripping on cactus (entirely legally) at Machu Picchu ranks as one of the top experiences of my life. It's overrun with tourists, but it is still fucking amazing. Definitely worth it. My next step is up to the north of Peru, where San Pedro shamanism originates and is still present in some form. I hope to take a lot more photos, so will keep you posted. Much love

Hi everyone I am currently in Bolivia and heading to Peru sometime in the next month or so I don't want to sit in internet cafes reading about cacti all day while I'm travelling, but if anyone wants to send me simple instructions on where to go and what to look for, I will attempt to do so and take good photos. I don't have a strict itenerary, so if something interesting comes up and it is not too far from a place I was intending to go anyway, I can go. cheers

Hey everyone here are a few photos from Salta Province, North West Argentina. Heaps of cacti here (only 2 or 3 common species, but everywhere). Most of these are geotagged so you can see where they are on the map from the flickr site. I have a few more interesting photos of cacti and landscapes in my camera but haven´t got around to posting them yet, will update soon! This is the ruins of Quilmes, a large settlement of Diaguita people who managed to resist the expansion of the Incas from the north but got wiped out by the Spanish. It was pretty awesome to get there before sunrise, watch the sun come up through the Cardons, and have the place to myself. The cacti are Cardon, which as far as I can work out is a general term for a number of species of Trichocereus. I think these are T. terschekki but if anyone has any better ideas, please contribute. They differ in spination and hairiness a bit, but I haven't been able to work out if there is more than one species around here or just one variable one (but as we all know, species is a pretty vague concept when it comes to cacti...) Also at Quilmes These little epiphytes (Tillandsia?) grow on everything. In some places they literally cover the cacti. There are also some mosses that do the same. I have some good photos of this but not posted yet. Quebrada de Talampaya, Parque Nacional Talampaya this place was a bit of a pain in the arse to get to, but very beautiful very annoyingly you can just see a little bit of the vehicle on the left ;) will have to photoshop that out when I get home. Enjoy, feel free to browse the other photos in flickr if you like. Will add more soon. Heading to Bolivia next week, will make more posts from different countries. Probably won't be checking the site very often, send me a pm or some other form of contact if you would like to.

OK Dunno. I wouldn't count on it.

There would definitely be a genetic basis to it. You don't see many plants with 100 ribs, or with just 2. The genes specify limits within which rib number can vary. However I think it is likely that within those limits, rib number is determined by environmental factors and also age of the plant. Exactly how those factors influence rib number would again be genetically (or epigenetically) determined. This is entirely conjectural, but a guess at how this could be controlled may be via the concentration of a certain hormone - the genotype specifies the extreme limits of this hormone that can be produced, and then environmental factors and age influence how much actually does get produced within those limits. The hormone reduces the chance of extra rib growth, so the more of it you have, the less ribs you are likely to get. As to the original question, 4 ribbed bridgesiis are not uncommon. So I wouldn't go to the trouble of TC for it. Considering the way you asked the question, it looks like you don't know a lot about TC, in which case I would suggest you have very little chance of successfully initiating and maintaining a culture of your plant. It is not that hard, but it takes a bit of training and practice and if your plant is sick then it will probably be dead by the time you get around to it. Just to answer your question hypothetically, there is no reason that TC would cause genetic changes (unless you treat with a substance like colchicine or something). However, TC does tend to cause epigenetic and significant hormonal changes so major changes in gene expression can be expected. Once you try and reestablish an actual plant from callous culture you may not have a 4 ribbed plant anymore.

I don't, I'm just a nerd

The main difference comes down to what are called 'grey market' imports ie these are cameras imported outside of the official channels of the Australian branches of the camera manufacturers. Canon and Nikon Australia are not actually the same company as Canon or Nikon themselves. The Australian companies have to buy the gear from the manufacturers. Because of the low population of Aus they can't buy as many as their equivalents in the US or Japan, so they don't get such a good price. That is why cameras are so much more expensive here than in many other places. If you went to Hong Kong and bought 100 cameras and brought them back to Australia and set up an online store to sell them, that would be entirely legal, but grey market. Grey market gear usually does not come with an Australian warranty. It may come with an 'international warranty' but you will need to send your camera overseas to get it fixed if it breaks and the warranty may be more limited than an Australian one. They may also come with overseas power cords so you will need to get an Aussie adapter, and they may not give you an Australian tax invoice (if you are buying from a company in Hong Kong that is not a registered Australian company). The last point is one of the most important as many people can claim expenditure on a camera as a work expense and get a tax deduction but of course you will need an Australian tax invoice for that. It is generally pretty easy to tell if you are buying a grey market import, and you can always ask. It is a bit of a risk, but sometimes the savings are pretty damn good and hard to pass up. I bought my last camera from ebay, and saved about $600 off the shop price. I am totally happy with it and haven't had any problems, but it would have been seriously annoying if I had. That was a risk that I chose to take and luckily it has paid off. If you are not already experienced with ebay, I wouldn't jump in and make an expensive purchase on your first go. Buy a few small things first and get used to it. But there are plenty of reputable online stores, some of which have physical outlets as well. If you search for the model you want through one of those shopping search portals you will find heaps of them. Generally before I buy anything from an online store I do a google search for the name of the store + 'reviews' and I also send them an email with a stock enquiry question just to make sure that they do actually exist and will answer emails. After all that, if a physical shop can come close to matching an online price, I strongly recommend you give them your business, particularly an actual camera store rather than a harvey norman or jb hifi - they provide a lot of assistance that you will never get from an online store and if anything goes wrong, you should be able to count on the people at the shop to deal with it rather than trying to figure it out yourself. You can always expect a shop to be around 10% more than an online store but I reckon it is worth it, particularly if you know they are dealing with people who are into photography themselves.

Uncle Staunch, yes, Euphorbia peplus is a common weed in Perth gardens and bushlands Yes

Personally I prefer Nikon DSLRs - they are compatible with pretty much every lens Nikon has ever made so you can buy old lenses on ebay and from 2nd hand shops and stuff, unlike Canon which keeps changing it's mount design. I also prefer the Nikon ergonomics. You can get a D90 for around that budget which you will be very happy with. I have been shooting with its predecessor, the D80 for a couple of years and I feel I am now starting to approach the limits of the camera but I could still keep using it with satisfaction for a couple more years. There really isn't that much difference between Canon and Nikon so it just depends on what you prefer. Read reviews on www.dpreview.com and have a play with the different models in a shop and see what feels better. If you want to get an SLR and take photography a little bit more seriously, then get one with an LCD display and two control dials (ie, don't get the entry level model from either brand, get the D90 or 50D). Don't bother with the entry level models if you want to advance your photography. Good quality lenses are more important than the latest and greatest camera body so if you must then buy a second hand body in good condition and get some nice glass. If you are not really that concerned about the technical art of photography, but just want to have fun and produce some good photos, then don't buy an SLR. They are big and heavy and you need to carry a different lens for every photo you want to take. Buy a good quality compact and it will see a lot more use because you can put it in your pocket and you will always have it with you. If I was going to go compact I would get a Canon G10 or a Panasonic LX3. In fact I am about to buy an LX3 to go travelling with. These two models both have manual controls so if you want, you can experiment and learn more about photography, or if you don't they will take great photos in auto mode. The only other piece of general advice I have is more megapixels is not necessarily better. Once you get above about 8-10 megapixels, unless you have a full frame DSLR with nice glass, you will not see any improvement and you may see a reduction in image quality particularly in low light situations. You will also need a more powerful computer and a bigger hard drive to display and store all the large image files you create. The megapixels thing is just a marketing gimmick that camera manufacturers unfortunately keep falling back to.

Apo might sound like a bit of an asshole in this post but I think he is actually expressing genuine concern and care for Hunab. And I would like to reiterate what he said. At the beginning of this year I experienced an unintentional overdose of a rare psychedelic. I got through the experience (with some distress) and then felt great for a week or two. After a while I began to get depressed and I have just emerged from the worst depressive period of my life. I feel like things are now getting better but it has literally been 4 months of being in a bad bad place with almost zero self esteem and constant suicidal ideation. There has been a lot of other stuff going on in my life with my family and relationships etc which have contributed, but Hunab, please be on guard over the next few months because the stress of a traumatic psychedelic experience may take some time to manifest itself.

Given that oseltamivir is synthesised from a substance found in star anise, I wonder if star anise would have any anti viral activity on it's own? Further, I wonder how hard the synthesis is? Bootleg Tamiflu anyone?

can you give us a link to info on the scooter you ride?

Come on apo you are being argumentative for the sake of it. I choose to be vego because I feel that based on the evidence, it is a good way to minimise my impact on the environment and on the suffering of other creatures I am not being egotistical about it, and I am not claiming to be totally impact free - of course we all have a footprint. Life can't exist without death. But I can reduce my involvement in the industrial agriculture livestock business by not eating meat and eating only locally produced organic dairy and eggs and I am causing less net suffering than a meat eater. It is probably very difficult or impossible to really quantify this difference, but based on the research I have done I feel pretty sure that there is enough of a difference to make it worthwhile being vego. BTW it is worth being a vego purely for the carbon savings regardless of the direct animal welfare and other ethical issues.

Yep http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/content/abstract/53/2/266 http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/content/abstract/118/4/1517 most of the research has been done on lettuce and may not be universal but it seems that seeds sense light via phytochrome for the purpose of determining how deeply they are buried - some prefer it deep, some shallow - or presence/absence of overstorey/leaf litter etc. GA3 can influence different species in different ways depending on their ecology and evolution and then also depending on how the seeds have been treated up until then seeds are too bloody complex, I strongly advise against working with them if you want any actual answers.

Seeds that respond to GA3 are those that have a dry after ripening requiremenet. ie, if it comes off the plant and can germinate immediately with no dormancy, GA3 probably won't help. GA3 also interacts with the light sensing mechanism via phytochrome in some seeds - but different seeds work in different ways with this so it is hard to predict.

So who's got a culture?

I was planning to come to the conference, but with the poor Aussie dollar the admission is just too high - I am planning a big SA trip and I can't afford to spend so much of my total budget on one week. It was also quite inconvenient due to the timing of our trip. However, I will definitely be in Peru/Bolivia/Colombia/Ecuador later in the year looking at cacti and coca and undergoing other explorations, so I would love to meet up with any australian ethnobotanists and share some adventures.

I guess the Economist article and the recent Vienna UN conference have caused a bit of a stir because this issue seems to be highly discussed at the moment and the legalisation perspective is getting a reasonable hearing. You can download Phillip Adam's segment here http://www.abc.net.au/rn/latenightlive/