A chuckle over the cornflakes this morning….. Wikipedia says: “Acacia maidenii, also known as Maiden's Wattle, is a tree native to Australia (New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria). Fitzgerald and Siournis reported in the Australian Journal of Chemistry (1965, volume 18, pp. 433-4) that a sample of the bark contained 0.36% of the hallucinogen DMT as well as 0.24% of N-methyltryptamine. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that the concentration of DMT and other tryptamines in A. maidenii is very variable and may be zero in many strains. When smoked, the bark gives a mild hallucinogenic effect. It is also a common admixture ingredient to Australian Ayahuasca brews.”
The Australian Government says: “Proposed Controlled Plant …….any plant containing DMT”
It almost goes without saying that Maiden's Wattle is one of those tall shrubs recommended for planting in NSW gardens by none other than Botanic Gardens Trust in Sydney.
Er, who’s going to tell Auntie that those lovely wattles she planted at the bottom of the garden might make her a criminal if she sells their potted seedlings at the local CWA fundraiser next year?
Though when it comes to political red faces, this week the Republican-dominated US House of Reps Appropriations Committee takes the cake based on the teensy weensy fact that the very same day a rather big Pacific Ocean tsunami barrelled towards so many shorelines this committee sent out a media release which trumpeted budgetary cuts to the very agency which runs the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre on which so many rely for information:-$99 million – NOAA – Operations, Research, and Facilities
-$18 million – NOAA – Procurement Acquisition and Construction
Pic from http://herbarium.0-700.pl/
Map from http://ptwc.weather.gov
