ELBS Newsletter NOVEMBER 2017
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NEWS East London LETTER Bromeliad Society November 2017 South Africa Established: 25 July 2009 Our aim is to promote and encourage awareness and interest in Bromeliads in East London and all of South Africa! ELBS is an Affiliated Society of Bromeliad Society International A super October meeting was held at the home of Val Nel and her daughter Caryn Dunlop in Vincent Heights. We had 28 members and 3 visitors join us to see Val’s lovely landscaped gardens at the front of the house and the back garden has loads of lovely bromeliads and interesting features while Caryn’s garden is more of a traditional garden with lovely lavenders, roses and creeper growing over an arch. Dr Pete Pfister did the honours of running the meeting this month as Dudley was not feeling well so he had a chance to chirp from the back benches for a change! Lyn Wegner also did a short talk on a species bromeliad, which the committee would like to include as a topic in the meeting from time to time. There is always something new to learn. Blooming Bromeliads Here are some of the super bromeliads Just part of the front of Val’s lovely Val Nel and her daughter Caryn Dunlop brought along to the October meeting by landscaped garden. who were our super hosts for the afternoon! Dr Pete Pfister, Brenda Wegner, Lyn Wegner and Dr Boots Horsfall, all showing off colour and form, plenty to discuss. It was pointed out for our newer members that it is a common misunderstanding that the entire spike that emerges from a bromeliad is thought to be the flower. The 'stalk' is referred to as the scape, or central stem, and it is the flowerless segment of the inflorescence. The attractive part is called the inflorescence and the actual flowers which are usually very small , sometimes insignificant, emerge from within the flower bracts at the top part of the inflorescence. Pete showed 3 stunning broms, Guzmania ‘Triumph’ which he got from Amalinda Nursery in March 2013. A lovely, big, red inflorescence. It took 4 years to flower… worth waiting for! To show a variation Pete’s Guzmania Theresa, left and Guzmania ‘Triumph’ Next Meeting: Annual Bring and Braai, BBB Surprise and Auction hosted by Bryan and Brenda Wegner on Sunday, 26 October at 19 Putney Ave, Nahoon Valley at 12.00 am. East London Bromeliad Society South Africa November 2017 Page 1 in size, next up was his Guzmania ‘Theresa’. A small, dainty Guzmania with an attractive small inflorescence. Pete also brought this stunning Aechmea left, the photo does not do it justice. Aechmea fendleri Red form DJC Caripe Venezuela '99. This is a big plant suitable for landscaping, it needs lots of space. I have 3 pups and 2 are blooming now. I now have 5 new pups! Very different colour leaves to the green form of Aechmea fendleri. Comment from Dennis Cathcart : This form of Ae. fendleri, was one that I, (DJC) collected near Caripe in the state of Monagas, Venezuela some years ago. This is the area famous for the large caves that are home to the Guacharos or Oil Birds. Lots of interesting plants there and this reddish leaved form of Ae. fendleri stood out so I collected a piece of it. Probably in the '90s. Pete’s Aechmea fendleri Red form DJC Caripe ex Venezuela. Brenda brought this lovely example of Nidularium innocentii var innocentii showing its white This stunning, unnamed Guzmania was flowers in the very centre of the shown by Brenda, also acquired from inflorescence. Amalinda Nursery a while back. Lyn showed Goudaea (previously referred to as Vriesea) ospinae var gruberi ‘Smudge pattern’, above. This is one of my favourites! The foliage is so magnificent that I don’t need the flower, a branched yellow inflorescence. I have it grouped with all my Goudaea ospinae varieties in bright light. It gets no special attention, and is an easy grower. Lyn also showed Billbergia ‘Titan’, right. I bought this plant many years ago from Bird Rock Tropicals. I Googled it and found there are 2 forms. Mine is B. ‘Windii’ x brasiliensis , a Baker hybrid. The foliage colour is not very exciting but the large form and inflorescence make it an attractive billbergia. Tillandsia ‘Mora’ above right, a pretty dainty plant, a form of T. leiboldiana which was developed by Corn Bak of the Netherlands and registered in 2005. Mine has been rather neglected so I am pleased it is doing so well. It likes moisture so although it can be mounted (grown epiphytically) I prefer mine to be potted and grown in a shady spot. Boots brought along 3 of his . Boot’s Tillandsia blooming Tillandsia The always straminea showing the lovely Tillandsia straminea, with inflorescence and the its beautifully scented flowers, a tiny scented flowers. East London Bromeliad Society South Africa November 2017 Page 2 nice example of Tillandsia butzii and Tillandsia schiedeana , which can grow into a lovely ball. I think it looks like a ball of firecrackers at blooming time! What Species is That? - Lyn Wegner I chose to talk about Goudaea ospinae var. ospinae which I thought was appropriate as we had a blooming Goudaea ospinae var. gruberi ‘Smudge Pattern’ at the meeting. (Photo on previous page.) Goudaea ospinae Tillandsia schiedeana and right, T. butzii. var. ospinae was named by Harry Luther in 1983 in honour of Berta Ospina, a Columbian collector and horticulturist. They are found in the rain forest of Columbia, growing in semi-shade in clumps amongst rocks and boulders. They like shady humid conditions. The foliage improves with brighter light. They have a yellow flower spike and it is one of the few stem forming bromeliads. I find they get rather untidy as they can grow up to 1 meter, forming ‘branches’ along the stem and reach about 40cm in diameter. I remove these ‘branches’ by carefully pulling or cutting them from the main stem and then I pot them up. This form is smaller than the Goudaea ospinae var. gruberi Goudaea ospinae var. ospinae variety. The BSI Journal, Volume 66(2), which Brenda has in our library, has an excellent article on these Goudaea Goudaea ospinae var gruberi. by Peter Tristram from Australia. I was very lucky to hear this first hand as a presentation at the Sunnybroms Conference held in Australia in March this year. Member News • Welcome to our newest local members, Gordon and Vilma Murray and country member from Krugersdorp, Danie de Wit. May you all enjoy many years of fun and rewarding bromeliad times with the society! • Congratulations to our members, Larraine Parathyras, Dudley Reynolds and Elna Smit for opening their wonderful gardens for the Pam Golding Gardens of East London Garden Show this month. Well done to all three of you! Thanks • Val Nel and Caryn Dunlop for hosting the October meeting at their home. • Val Nel, Betty Heunis, Irene Manthe and Maureen and Andre Eybers for eats for tea time. Nice to see Odette Degenaar at the • Lyn Wegner and Lynn Odendaal for Lucky Draw plants. meeting with Irene Manthe. • Dudley Reynolds for beautiful Cattleya blooms off one of his orchids as Lucky Draw items. • Pete Pfister for bringing a pile of Tillandsia give-aways for members to help themselves. Congratulations to the October Raffle Winners • Malcolm Stoltz chose Neoregelia 'Candy Apple'. • Sue Pema chose Neoregelia ‘Lambert’s Pride’. • Eddie Black chose Neoregelia carcharodon ‘Silver’. • Pam Stoltz chose Neoregelia carolinae concentrica Eddie Black and Sue Pema Malcolm and Pam Stoltz East London Bromeliad Society South Africa November 2017 Page 3 'Blue Navy Blue'. • Christo van Wijk chose to have a discount on an order. • Norman and Hantie Weitz from Pretoria are still to choose their raffle plant. • Danie Taljaard from Cape Town is still to make his choice. • Deon Barnes from Randburg chose Aechmea orlandiana var. orlandiana x Canistrum seidelianum kindly donated by Richard King, one of his own hybrid creations. From the Committee • After much discussion on the topic of supplying eats for tea time at the meetings, the committee has taken into consideration all the ideas that came forward from the floor at the last meeting. We have decided that as from January, tea will be R10.00 per person. Larraine Parathyras will purchase savoury and sweet items for eats. (By popular demand, what would life be without tea time!!!!!) Xenia Winther will collect the money for tea at the beginning of the meetings. So when you buy your raffle tickets from Lyn O, pay Xenia for tea too. Larraine will still send out a tea duty roster and those on duty are expected to assist with setting up the tea requirements, filling urn etc, cleaning away afterwards so that we leave our hosts home in some sort of order. • Don’t forget to prepare a bromeliad for your BBB (Black Bag Brom Surprise) for the end of year function which is a couple of weeks away! You can jolly it up a bit if you like! Upcoming Society Events 26th November: SAVE THE DATE!!! You are invited to our annual social day and the last time we meet for the year. This function is for members and their partners and children. Hosted by Brenda and Bryan Wegner at 19 Putney Ave Nahoon Valley • We will have a Bring and Braai and meet at 12 o’clock, not our usual 2pm. • PLEASE BRING: A chair/s, your meat, braai tongs, plates, pudding bowls, cutlery, glasses and your drinks. The fires, paper plates (if you require them), salads, rolls and fun will be provided.