Kava Botany The Nene Plant

[HeadHodge]

I will probably try blasting a cutting in the next year or so with 230 MeV Protons (and accompanying Neutrons) just to see if I can produce some mutations, but my luck with a few other plant species and 10 MV photons never turned up a whole lot, albeit with very limited effort on my part.

I grew up believing gamma rays were always the way to go.
Just ask Dr. Bruce Banner

 

[Deleted User01]

@Zaphod @Alia There are many kava origin stories, but one that stands out to me, as being very probably, is that rats were observed chewing the root, falling into a relaxed stupor, appearing to be dead or asleep...and then waking up as if nothing happened. That was enough to drive the curiosity of man to attempt the same thing.

Ok, for those that want to make sure they don't get sick from a Nene plant, just remember this simple song:

Nene plant very pretty and the nene flower looks "sweeeeet"
But the leaves of the of the poor nene are impossible to eat.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Ok, for those that want to make sure they don't get sick from a Nene plant, just remember this simple song:

Nene plant very pretty and the nene flower looks "sweeeeet"
But the leaves of the of the poor nene are impossible to eat.

Aw, but that's my favorite part:

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

Very good question and the probable answer is they were 'hunter gatherers' who chewed some root of wichmannii (methysticum 's much older sister) and noticed some
relaxing? numbing? effect so they began vegetative propagation. In 1985 I was hiking in a very remote area of Waipio Valley with a seasoned older resident who said there was a patch of very old 'awa plants nearby and wanted to show them to me. It was quite amazing just to chew a few small lateral roots! That was a weekend. On Monday morning I was at work at a botanical garden- east Hawai'i Island- when a guest walked up to me and introduced himself as a botanical researcher who was hired by a mainland company to come to the Pacific to study...kava! Before that hike I'd never heard of kava/'awa. I still have that person's business card as a place marker in Lebot's 1st edition Kava book! The weekend chewing of a few roots, and the Monday meeting , totally altered my life.

That was a great story, more, on core on core, I love to hear stories like that. Tell us how you were in Waipio and I think it was with J.O. and he climbed up the side and found something??
Aloha.

Chris

 

[Alia]

That was a great story, more, on core on core, I love to hear stories like that. Tell us how you were in Waipio and I think it was with J.O. and he climbed up the side and found something??
Aloha.

Chris

J.O. was the 1st hike guide...a few years later the Nature Conservancy Hawaiian Heritage folks contacted me (by then I knew the back of that Valley very well) they sent a Botanist over who wanted a Guide to take him back to document Canoe Plants and endemics. He was very intense and extremely knowledgeable. A pleasant Chinese gentleman-J.L.. We were within a small valley within Waipio just past the deserted Chinese Camp and JL noticed a steady, seep-waterfall--very tiny but long and way up. We began climbing using roots, anything we could grab up a seriously vertical cliff. After about 300 feet we actually fell into an old Hawaiian zig-zag trail! And there was a large 'awa patch growing and a rare Hawaiian banana patch. All the 'awa was Mo'i and Lu'ukia- Queen's 'awa which is probably Papa 'Ele'ele (we were not at the fabled "Queen's Patch"). As we were getting a few cuttings JL looked out at the space and sheer 300 foot drop and said, very deadpan- "This is not a safe place to be.". He was right, we got out.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

Lol encore encore is right !