Aechmea fuerstenbergii

Aechmea fuerstenbergii has an outstanding inflorescence consisting of a tight conical spike of white flowers behind rose-red bracts. 

I first saw this in a Cargo Report and immediately wanted one. I mentioned this to Brian Weber as we walked down a main isle of the 2-acre shade house at Tropiflora. He immediately pointed to a smallish untagged potted plant on the floor adjacent to where I was passing. “That’s either it or beeriana.” I was skeptical on the ID but he quoted me a great price. (Did I mention I was cheep?) I guess I should never question Brian’s ability to track and ID a few 10K’s of plants. Great plant – great price – thanks Brian.

The FCBS record has Bahia, Brazil as the point of the type collection, yet it is ranged as an Amazonian epiphyte from Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil.  This plant was first described in the late 1800’s from collected greenhouse material found in Europe. So the Bahia reference seems slim to me. Are there any other accounts of a Bahia collection origin for this plant?

I’ve heard the Streptocalyx genus name referenced in comments that “the taxonomists can not make up their mind”. Streptocalyx was sucked into Aechmea over 14 years ago – Give it up – it is time to change the name on your tags.

Cheers, Greg – PSJPlants – Brevard County, FL (Space Coast)

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Billbergia distachia var. straussiana

Billbergia distachia var. straussiana is a pleasing specie bromeliad from South-Eastern Brazil (Santa Catarina?). A medium small tubular plant with purple tipped green sepals surround greenish flowers at anthesis. The ovaries are heavily ribbed.

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Dyckia ‘Cherry Coke’

 

Dyckia ‘Cherry Coke’ a cv. platyphylla x ‘Carlsbad’ is a hardy sun loving bromeliad with graceful arching reddish cola toned foliage, and is topically interesting.

‘Cherry Coke’ can be finicky in attaining it’s best coloration and size due nutrient needs, seasonal variation, and overall light levels. However, when the conditions align, it can yield an award winning Head-Table plant that is stunning in form, size, and coloration, (see the FCBS site).

This hybrid was introduced by Tropiflora several years ago. ‘Cherry Coke’ proves to me that the initial naming of a hybrid can be crucial to it’s acceptance. I don’t consider this to be my favorite Dyckia, but more as a required starter plant to grow this genus. Polling the average society member to recite a Dyckia by name – you’d probably here ‘Cherry Coke’ as a response.

As with many released crosses it is possible to have several variants in circulation. I’d seen pictures on the web that don’t match mine and others that do. I can show pictures of my plant in bloom showing yellow petals, yellow flower bracts, primary bracts longer than the petals. And provide that I had acquired this from Michael’s Bromeliads, excepting the identity, knowing there are probably others growing the same clone, with this name, as mine.

Cheers, Greg – PSJPlants – Brevard County, FL (Space Coast)

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Aechmea lueddemanniana

Aechmea lueddemanniana is a wide ranging variable bromeliad from Mexico to Costa Rica. This bromeliad grows as an epiphyte or saxicolous. Grows well in strong light, though mine gets a little dappled shade during the summer noon time sun. 

The name spelling gets shortened sometimes to lueddemannia, confusing but in character, as the spelling of the person whom it was named after has more than one version.

This specie clone is a beauty. It is compact at a 2 foot spread,  with stiff reddish foliage and silverish bloom spike. The self setting flowers are lavender, producing a white berry that turns purple when ripe.

The prodigious quantity of self-set berries allows for an other learning and growing opportunity – growing bromeliads from seed.

 

My normal seed starting technique is the using the lazy method – squeeze the berries onto the surface of some fine moist peat, place in the shade and ignore for 2 months. This seems to weed out all those species that require a minimum of care.

I have used a more successful method – squeeze the berries into a small cup of water that has had a teaspoon of bleach added. Stir and swish to separate all the seed from the pulp. The viable seeds should sink to the bottom while the pulp and non-viable seeds should float. Carefully pour off the chaff – then repeat the process with another rinse to remove any remaining residue. Pour the remaining seeds thru a paper towel and allow to dry for at least 24 hours. 

The seeds may now be scraped into a packet for short term storage. For specie plants I recommend separating out 50% for distribution to the BSI seed fund.

I next sprinkle the seeds on finely ground moist peat in a berry flat and cover, trying to maintain constant moisture and humidity. The berry flats have bottom drainage that also allow for wicking moisture inward if necessary.

This plant seems to work well with both seed start methods being unusually hardy and fast growing from the start. However, for additional and probably more reliable information on seed growing check out the BSI and the BSQ for related articles.

Cheers, Greg PSJPlants – Brevard County, FL (Space Coast)

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Cryptanthus ‘Jennifer’

 Cryptanthus ‘Jennifer’ is a cross of ‘High ‘N Mighty’ x ‘Hawaiian Beauty’ unreg. This bromeliad hybrid attains pleasing green and red tones with a smidgen of silver scurfing towards the leaf base. 

I acquired this as an offset for a raffle prize at a society meeting (donated by Terri Bert). I didn’t regard this much at the time, ignoring it for several months. Then during spring clean-up I noticed it had come through the winter with surprising hardiness having doubled in size, showing much improved coloration. ‘Time, just takes time’.

Cheers, Greg – PSJPlants – Brevard County, FL (Space Coast)

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