bullit Posted April 17, 2014 nice , were did ya get a green stem.. cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
katu Posted April 17, 2014 G'day bullit. Picked one up a couple of years back at a market on the Atherton tablelands. She's just gotten big enough to start propagating so should be able to spread a few plants around in the near future. Hey who's the artist behind your avatar? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bullit Posted April 17, 2014 put me down for 1 please i have a black stem thats about 3 years old. dont know the artist bro but is a cool drawing.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
katu Posted April 17, 2014 For sure, I've got two which are getting pretty close, essentially just need to harden them up.I think I read somewhere once that the black stem cv. was reserved for royalty or the heads of the different clans and was only used ceremonially. Nice plant that one. Is your black stem from herbalistics? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bullit Posted April 17, 2014 nar from a mate i dont thik they have ever sold green stem?? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
katu Posted April 17, 2014 Nice, we should do a trade down the track! Nah, I was talkin to darcy a bit back, he reckons he had a couple of the green but lost them.. I'm supposed to be sending him one of mine to trade just haven't gotten around to it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Illustro Posted April 20, 2014 Nice plant, love the leaves...but crap, it made me realise my 'kava' was probably not actually P. methysticum ... after a google search it turns out my 'kava' is probably actually P. auritum, aka 'false kava'. Bugger.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
katu Posted April 20, 2014 Where did you source ya plant mate? Do the leaves have a "velvety" feel, crush/taste a leaf, does it have a sassafras/anise kinda smell/taste? Could you take another pic of a leaf close up top and bottom. Growth habit doesn't look right to me. I think you're right about it not being P.methysticum but maybe a more experienced member could chime in. I struggle to ID plants unless I've grown/seen them in person. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Illustro Posted April 21, 2014 Just got it from a small local nursery, informed the owners of my ID, they didn't believe me so I pulled rank (I'm a botanist ). Very velvety (pubescent) and sassafras smell, part of what led me to the P. auritum ID. Not kava, but still not a bad plant at all (unless planted in the ground! *invasive*). Used in Central American cuisine and also a commercially-viable source of safrole! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slocombe Posted April 21, 2014 Just got it from a small local nursery, informed the owners of my ID, they didn't believe me so I pulled rank (I'm a botanist ). Very velvety (pubescent) and sassafras smell, part of what led me to the P. auritum ID. Not kava, but still not a bad plant at all (unless planted in the ground! *invasive*). Used in Central American cuisine and also a commercially-viable source of safrole! My heart just skipped a beat. *Commercially* viable? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
katu Posted April 21, 2014 Hey bullit bro, the thing that got me doubting its kava is the way the new shoots are all coming off that centre stem/trunk? Whereas the kava I've seen seems to predominantly shoot from the base, if that makes any sense?? But shit I'm not the one to ask.. I know there's quite a few variants out there. But yeah illustro i'm sure your right mate the sassafras smell and velvety leaves lead me to say ya right. But like you said mate, a nice plant regardless. I think the Piper genus are good lookin plants all round, picked up a little P.betel for $2 from the markets just the other week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Illustro Posted April 21, 2014 looks like kava?? Superficially, at first glance, one easy give-away is the distinct midrib in my plant, whereas the veins in kava are all borne from the leaf base. And katu's observation that my plant has a single sturdy trunk and kava has multiple small branches coming from the base, as well as the sassafras smell. My heart just skipped a beat. *Commercially* viable? Apparently so. Not a bad plant at all katu, will have to try some of the Mexican recipes. Not sure what I'll do with the plant though seeing it's potentially invasive, probably keep it in a pot, don't need a whole forest 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
