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Identifying the Cattapa for the Defense Fund
> Loh, As one of many members that have taken your offer on the
>moss in the past, I can say that maybe your offer of Cattapa leaves may
>fallen on ears that do not know or understand the value of these leaves.
>Until this year I have never heard of the leaves or how they work. I've
>been on this list for many years (5/6 or 7?) and also on the net looking
>for information on fish or plants just as long. I had planned to buy
>some at a site that offered them for sale
>http://www.belowwater.com/store/wild-almond-leaf/ , This site also tells
>of it's benefits. This payday I will be putting more money into the fund,
>if some one shoots a link to me by way of the APD list.
To find out how you can contribute to the fund, go to:
http://216.168.47.67/psw/Default.html
I went looking for a Cattapa Tree with my wife the other day. My
friend who earlier gave me a bag of dried Cattapa leaves said the trees
could be found in the compound of his office, the Land Transport
Authority of Singapore.
I had to exchange a visitor's pass before I could get into the compound
and when we found the trees, there were about 5 of them. They
were much taller than I had expected and the lowest branches were
just too high for me to reach. There were many dead leaves on the
floor and they swept into neat piles awaiting disposal. The
janitor probably doesn't know there's a fortune to be made from
these leaves :) I would have collected the dead leaves if not for the
fact that it's embarrassing. People would think I'm crazy if I start
gathering leaves which are considered as litter. I'm shy although
I may not seem like it.
Anyway, I was looking for fresh leaves and not dead ones. This
is because when I sent out the first pack of leaves last week, I
found that I could only squeeze 2 leaves into the envelope I usually
use. The leaves being rather large won't go into the envelope
unless I fold them and if I do, they will break into tiny pieces.
But fresh leaves wouldn't break and the envelope I use should
be able to take at least 5 of them. I would prefer to send as
many as I could whenever a contributor to the defense fund
writes me for it. To send just 2 leaves would be pathetic.
My wife and I decided to try looking for another Cattapa Tree.
We went to a forested area somewhere to the east of Singapore.
There, we found a young tree which we thought could be a Cattapa.
We just couldn't be sure because it doesn't have a thick trunk like the
ones we saw earlier. It could be that the tree is still young as its
branches were quite low, easily within reach. Their leaves look
similar but I'm no botanist, so I still wasn't sure. I plucked out a
lot of fresh leaves and compared them to one I found at the Land
Transport Authority's office. I examined the veins and the colour
and they appear similar. I even asked my wife to smell the leaves
to see if there's a difference. Would have done that myself if not
for the fact that my smoking habit has killed off my sense of smell.
My wife said they smell the same. They feel the same too. There's
something like fur on the backs of the leaves.
I now have a pile of fresh leaves and a bag of dead ones. I don't
know if the former are Cattapa leaves and would really hate the
idea that I may send the wrong ones to the generous folks
who have contributed to the fund. Last thing I want is to kill
your fish with some poisonous leaves. It would be even worse
if someone would to brew a tea with the leaves I sent and poison
him or herself ;)
I'm wondering what I should do. I don't know of anyone here
who's expert enough to give me a positive identification. If you
can think of a way to help me, I would appreciate that very much.
Thank you.
Loh K L