Kratom clones

[Murple]

I am working on an article about kratom (a rewrite of the atrocious paper I wrote a few years ago which is all over the net now). This rewrite will blow much of what was believed about kratom out of the water.

I am wondering if anybody here is familiar with the commercially available kratom clones. For example, "Bumblebee" - other than its existence, no information about it that I can find. What is its origin and what are its characteristics, and is it still on the market? Rob Montgomery of BPC also apparantly has developed a clone from the same seedstock as the now extinct Craig's Clone, does anybody know what it's name is and if it is on the market as well? Are there any others? It seems that nearly all the kratom plants on the market are the Robert Rifat clone. Speaking of which... anybody know the origin of the "Robert" part of that name? Rifat's first name was Claude.

[Idplugg]

It was a member of the old spiritplant board (Bumble) who germinated some seeds he had  aquried from Vietnam.

[Murple]

Do you know how to contact Bumble? I'd be curious to know more about this clone, as this is the first I've heard of any Vietnamese kratom (although Vietnam is certainly within the region where kratom grows).

[Idplugg]

No, sorry I don't. I'm sure somebody else around here knows him though.

[Murple]

Well, failing that... anybody have any info on this plant? Its growth characteristics, activity, how widely circulated it was/is? Here's the section of the paper as it stands now. If anyone has any further info please let me know.

In recent years, kratom has been successfully cultivated outside of Thailand from seeds and then frequently cloned. Most plants available outside of Asia are clones, as seeds have only a short period of viability. There are several clone strains worth mentioning. The best known clone is the Robert Rifat Clone. This plant was originally grown by Shaman Australis from seed collected from a research institution in Thailand by the Swiss scientist Claude Rifat. The parent plant has been used in several research studies, and presumably is the Chulalongkorn University tree used in the Chiba University research. The Rifat Clone has a reputation for being especially strong, and is the most widely available clone outside of Asia. Another clone also grown by Shaman Australis was the Craig's Clone. This plant was grown from Thai seed collected in 1999 from trees which local residents said were their preferred kratom plants. Craig's Clone was never developed into a commercial strain out of deference to Rob Montgomery of the Botanical Preservation Corps, who were developing plants in the USA from the same batch of seeds. Tissue cultures of the plant were saved in long term storage medium, but in 2001 these became unrecoverable and this clone is now lost. However, as previosly stated, Rob Montgomery and other individuals in the US were able to grow plants from the same seed collection. Finally, there is the Bumblebee Clone, which was grown by a Spiritplants member named Bumble from seeds of Vietnamese origin. In addition to propagation by cuttings, kratom has been cloned by tissue culture. The first plant grown in this way was planted in February 2002 by Christian Rätsch and Claudia Müller-Ebeling at Wandjina Gardens in Australia.

[Idplugg]

Hmm, as for your question about the "Robert" part of the name I *think* Robert was Claudes deceased brother, and he wanted to honour  him by naming the clone after him.

[byrooon]

good article murple

[Murple]

Nearing completion... Theres a few sections I want to factcheck, so, if anyone here has any corrections/additions/comments on these excerpts, please let me know ASAP.

Mitragyna speciosa itself reaches heights of 50 feet with a branch spread of over 15 feet. The stem is erect and branching. Flowers are yellow and grow in ball-shaped clusters, as previously mentioned. Leaves are a dark glossy green in color, smooth, ovate-acuminate in shape, and opposite in growth pattern. Leaves can grow over 7 inches long and 4 inches wide. Kratom is evergreen rather than deciduous, and leaves are constantly being shed and being replaced, but there is some quasi-seasonal leaf shedding due to environmental conditions. During the dry season of the year leaf fall is more abundant, and new growth is more plentiful during the rainy season. When grown outside their natural tropical habitat, leaf fall occurs with colder temperatures, around 4° Celsius.

    Kratom prefers wet, humusy soils in a protected position, often growing in swampy areas. Anecdotal reports from growers in Australia indicate that it prefers partial shade and does not like strong winds, although others report good results growing it in full sun. Being a heavy feeder, it requires very rich, fertile soil. It is drought sensitive, and if grown out of its native habitat, sensitive to frost. Propagation is by very fresh seed or cuttings. There is a low strike rate, due to an endogenous fungus which attacks xylem tissue. In addition to propagation by cuttings, kratom has been cloned by tissue culture. The first plant grown in this way was planted in February 2002 by Christian Rätsch and Claudia Müller-Ebeling at Wandjina Gardens (http://www.wandjina.net.au/) in Australia. Thais believe that seed grown kratom plants are not reliable and that half of the plants grown from seed of a good kratom tree will be worthless as a drug plant. Whether this is true or folklore has not been scientifically investigated.

    In recent years, kratom has been successfully cultivated outside of Thailand from seeds and then frequently cloned. Most plants available outside of Asia are clones, as seeds have only a short period of viability. There are several clone strains worth mentioning. The best known clone is the Robert Rifat Clone. This plant was originally grown by Shaman Australis from seed collected from a research institution in Thailand by the Swiss scientist Claude Rifat. The parent plant has been used in several research studies, and presumably is the Chulalongkorn University tree used in the Chiba University research. The Rifat Clone has a reputation for being especially strong, and is the most widely available clone outside of Asia. Another clone also grown by Shaman Australis was the Craig's Clone. This plant was grown from Thai seed collected in 1999 from trees which local residents said were their preferred kratom plants. Craig's Clone was never developed into a commercial strain out of deference to Rob Montgomery of the Botanical Preservation Corps, who were developing plants in the USA from the same batch of seeds. Tissue cultures of the plant were saved in long term storage medium, but in 2001 these became unrecoverable and this clone is now lost. However, as previously stated, Rob Montgomery and other individuals in the US were able to grow plants from the same seed collection, which reportedly included approximately 100 seeds which were distributed to a variety of botanists and collectors. Finally, there is the Bumblebee Clone, which was grown by a Spiritplants member named Bumble from seeds of Vietnamese origin.

    Although not scientifically studied yet, there is anecdotal evidence that indicates kratom grown in climates which are cooler than their native habitat tend to produce weak leaves. In warmer subtropical climates, there seems to be some seasonal variability, with more potent leaves growing from late summer through autumn and weak leaves in winter and spring. Greenhouse grown plants are reportedly also not very potent. Whether this indicates a relationship between temperature and alkaloid production or is even consistently true has not been thoroughly researched, but it seems likely this is the case.

The rewritten paper is several times longer and corrects many errors and misconceptions, and there's a ton of new information - especially in pharmacology. If anyone has any corrections etc on this botany section, thats basically all thats left before publication.

[senorsalvia]

Thank you for your dedication to some definitive conclusions as opposed to anecodotal info Murple------------  Good work-----    senorsal