BromeliAdvisory February 2012 WEBPAGE: http://www.bssf-miami.org/ FEBRUARY 21, 2012 7:30 PM Speaker: Dennis Cathcart on Wally Berg http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_1881 55814554155&ap=1 RAFFLE TABLE: Robert Meyer FOOD TABLE: Pat Tarkanish Joy Parrish, Maureen http://ja-jp.facebook.com/pages/Bromeliad-So Adelman ciety-of-South-Florida/84661684279 President Carl Bauer VP: Barbara Partagas Speaker for the Month: Treasurer: Alan Herndon Dennis Cathcart – the man behind Tropiflora – something which he describes as, “. a bromeliad Secretary: Lori Weyrick collecting hobby got out of hand.” Tropiflora _________________ registered in 1976 and now is BIG. He or his DIRECTORS nursery can be seen at numerous shows Past Pres.: Robert Meyer throughout the year. He is one of the few Directors: featured speakers for Orlandiana ‘12 – the 20th Urszula Dudek ‘12-‘13 World Conference Lenny Goldstein ‘12-‘13 Sandy Roth ‘11-‘12 Special Orders Anyone? Craig Morrell ‘11-‘12 If you want Dennis to bring items to YOU at our meeting, email or call them and make your order. Deadline for the order is February 17, 2012. http://www.tropiflora.com/ Editor 1-800-613-7520, or [email protected] Robert C Meyer RENEW MEMBERSHIPS NOW – SEE LAST PAGE Door Prize: Alan Herndon Education: Nat DeLeon Hospitality: Elaine Mills Library: Skye Palmer Inside this edition: PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE ............................. 2 Membership: Melody Ray IN CASE YOU MISSED IT .......................... 2-4 Mem. Plant Sales: Antonio OBITUARY ....................................... 4 Arbelaez AN ARTISTIC INTERLUDE ........................... 4 Raffle: Mike Michalski GARDEN NOTES ................................ 5-6 Refreshments: Sandy Roth ALL HAIL OUR LONG-TERM MEMBERS .............. 6-7 UPCOMING EVENTS ............................. 7-8 What Who MURDER IN CORBIN ............................. 8-9 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL FORM ...................... 10 Sales Tropiflora Table BromeliAdvisory Page 2 President’s Message species is often defined as a group of organisms by Carl Bauer capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.” Alternatively, “a genus (plural: Weather forecasters tell us that La Nina genera) is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the winters [like this year] in the Southeast are biological classification of living and fossil warm and dry. That has certainly been the organisms, which is an example of definition by case so far in 2012 with welcome rain finally genus and differentia. Genera and higher arriving in early February for an extended taxonomic levels such as families are used in period. It will mean back to mowing the lawn biodiversity studies, particularly in fossil studies more often but good news for our plants in since species cannot always be confidently the garden. identified and genera and families typically have longer stratigraphic ranges than species.” Sahney, Believe it or not, it is time to begin planning S., Benton, M.J. and Ferry, P.A. (2010). "Links for our annual Show and Sale. The actual between global taxonomic diversity, ecological dates for public viewing are April 21 and 22, diversity and the expansion of vertebrates on 2012 at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, land" (PDF). Biology Letters 6 (4): 544–547. but of course the hard work comes before that. Chairman Alan Herndon and his team Every member of the society has handled genus need everyone of us involved. There is a lot and species for years. The bromeliad names are to be done but if history is any judge we will always binomial – a two part name. The first is have a lot of fun. There is a real sense of the genus, and the second is the species. We satisfaction in preparing and presenting this always capitalize the genus, and species will very special celebration of our beautiful always have a lower case. And, species will often bromeliads. I don't think there is anything use Greek or Latin for descriptive names, or will else that matches it! be honorific in which the name of a person will be attached to the plant for appreciation or acclaim Please volunteer at the next two meetings for for honorary work. any of the various committees. There are a multitude of possibilities for your time and Dr. Bert explained how the evolutionary talents. improvement of biological sciences delivered changes to many identifications, and effectively Finally, don't forget to pay your annual dues has made dramatic and potentially large changes and ensure you are included in the 2012 in our often eventless and little world of Member Roster. bromeliads. DNA advancement has provided more thorough scientific rational for sorting the See you at the meeting. Bromeliaceae beyond mere morphological similarities. Taxonomy (systematics) has become Carl Bauer more of a genetic science. Now, rather than relying on keen senses of distinction, DNA sequences may deliver categories. This will often In Case You Missed It changes the genus name, not necessarily the by Robert Meyer species; and, the result often rearranges different genera as similar-looking plants often do not Dr. Terry Bert came and delivered a lecture share the same genetic background. on a new topic entitled: Sorting Out the Evolving Family: Led by University of Wisconsin’s team of DNA Bromeliad Identification experts, the truly hungry enthusiasts can obtain Conundrums. more than they would want by reading “PHYLOGENY, ADAPTIVE RADIATION, The focus was on AND HISTORICAL BIOGEOGRAPHY OF bromeliad species and BROMELIACEAE INFERRED FROM ndhF genera, and the SEQUENCE DATA” as found at: subfamilies of each. http://www.botany.wisc.edu/givnish/pdfs/Givnis “Species is one of the h%20Bromeliaceae.pdf. Simply put, plants were basic units of biological put under the watchful eye of a DNA sequencer, classification and a taxonomic rank. A and surprising results were found. BromeliAdvisory Page 3 Although we call our beloved plants subject, dryer than others perhaps, some bromeliads – the Bromeliaceae family is enlightenment with metaphors and examples. divided into three subfamilies: Slides showing plants with familiar looks but very Pitcairnioideae, Bromelioideae and different genus id-factors made us understand the Tillandsioideae. Or was. complexity of the situation. Hechtia, or what Dr. Bert described as the marsupial of bromeliads, is Pitcairnioideae had 14 genera; an “enigma.” Puya is a Pitcairnioideae gone Bromelioideae had 32 genera; and amok. Many Tillandsia look like Vriesea, but they Tillandsioideae had 9 genera – for a total of are not. And, even some Guzmania appeared to 55 genera. If you look to the FCBS website, be anything but the what is classified as. you will notice that the list of photos for genera includes 58 genera, and all but three Dr. Bert also handled some of the common are highlighted in blue (those in blue have sensical day-to-day problems encountered by us photographs). The BSI page lists 56. The weekend gardeners. What do you do with the FCBS includes some genera which BSI does plant whose tag was lost? She suggested moving not: Pepina. And BSI a pup next to a plant that includes some genera you think it is and when it which FCBS does blooms, you should know. not: Eduandrea, If it does not match, walk it Lapanthus, and around others with tags, Sequencia. Confusing and hope you see what you before, and now even are looking for. more confusing. Although few, if any, of the The authors of the crowd would yearn to above-described become a taxonomist in article found that, hobby or otherwise, those “Given the ladderlike looking for more of this branching pattern in new subject can go online the ndhF bromeliad and read the University of phylogeny, subfamily Wisconsin article shown Pitcairnioideae must above or go to the Sprecht This graph from NHGRI [National Human Genome be recircumscribed Research Institute] shows how the exponential drop lab at and at least five new (Moore’s Law) is far outpaced by the recent http://www.plantbiodivers subfamilies erected if astronomical drops in prices for genome sequencing. ity.org/publications.html. all resulting entities are to be monophyletic and the morphologically distinctive Bromelioideae EDITOR’S NOTE: Full genome sequencing was and Tillandsioideae maintained. We expensive, labor-intensive, and reserved for therefore propose the following four new serious issues – e.g. life-threatening diseases. But, subfamilies of Bromeliaceae, and Pacific Biosciences (a Menlo Park, Ca. recircumscribe two others . .” corporation) and other corporations are making machines to handle the issues at a fraction of the The authors named four subfamilies cost. In 2009, it cost $50,000.00 to $100,000.00 Brocchinioideae TYPE: Brocchinia; for full genome sequencing. In 2010 it dropped to Lindmaniodeae TYPE Lindmania (also about $39,500.00 at Knome (a Cambridge, Mass. includes genera Connellia); Hechtiodeae corporation run by Harvard University faculty), TYPE Hechtia; and Puyoideae TYPE Puya. and $29,500.00 for researchers. Illumina (a San The recircumscribed were Navioidaea Diego, Ca. corporation) made breaking news in (Genera Brewcaria, Cottendorfia, Navia, June of 2010 by reducing the price to $19,500.00 Sequencia,and Steyerbromelia) and from $48,000.00. And, Illumina would discount Pitcairnioideae (Genera Abromeitiella, the price to $9,500.00 to the seriously ill, or Deuterocohnia, Dyckia, Encholirium, $14,500.00 per patient for parties of five or more. Fosterella, and Pitcairnia) Complete Genomics (a Mountain View, Ca. corporation) announced in 2011 that it would Dr. Bert’s energetic voice brought this charge as little as $10,000.00. Life Technologies Group (a Carlsbad, Ca. corporation) then BromeliAdvisory Page 4 announced a machine that practically Ewa Grau’s paintings featured softer edges in a performs the duty in the amount of time it more impressionistic style. However, her display takes to xerox a small manuscript. Pacific also includes the only intentionally non-realistic Biosciences responded. Pacific Biosciences painting in the show. This painting is dominated by stated that their second-generation machine, bright yellow, highly stylized flower (probably based which is scheduled for release in 2015, will on a sunflower).