SEMBS THE SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN BROMELIAD SOCIETY AFFILIATE OF THE BROMELIAD SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL S EPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2010 SEPTEMBER MEETING Saturday, September 18, 2 p.m. at Paul Wingert’s home, 27276 Edgemoor , Farmington Woods. Topic: Bromeliads for the Window Sill. Paul shows and discusses a large selection of small bromeliads which require little space but offer delightful color and form through the year in return for very little care. Following the presentation there will be a Dutch auction for the benefit of SEMBS. Plants will be offered at an opening bid, say $10. When no more are purchased at that price, the bid will be lowered to $9, etc. Please note: there is road construction (re-paving project) planned for Orchard Lake Road. Traffic will be maintained in at least one lane each direction, but the I-696 exit ramps to Orchard Lake Rd. are scheduled to be closed for two weekends between September 11 and mid- October. They're not saying which weekends. It looks like they will stay open but you may want to check the Map Quest "avoid highways" option as you approach Paul’s house. In case you need last minute directions: Home- (248)-473-1315 cell (248)-798-4139 Cover illustration: Quesnelia marmorata cv. ‘Tim Plowman’ SEMBS, the newsletter of the Southeast Michigan Bromeliad Society, appears bimonthly for the purpose of disseminating information about bromeliads and about Society activities. Editor: Penrith Goff. Material published in the newsletter may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes without the express permission of the editor. It is requested SEMBS be credited as the source and that any changes from the original be noted as such. Photo files of illustrations are usually available upon request. OCTOBER MEETING Saturday, Oct. 17 , 2 p.m. at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 n. Dixboro Rd., Ann Arbor Topic: Life as a Tree Dweller. A power point survey of major epiphytic plant species offers a fascinating glimpse of the epiphytic life style: its challenges and its benefits. Although ephiphytes are pretty much confined to subtropical and tropical climes they comprise an astounding 10% of the world’s 29,000 blooming plant species . In some tropical forests they make up to 1/3 of the blooming plants. Many of our favorite houseplants are among them. Following the presentation there will be an open house of the Matthaei bromeliad growing area. Guests welcome! TIDBITS: Epiphyte (epi=on, phyte=plant) – a plant growing on another plant, normally not parasitic Paul Isley, Tillandsia, 1987, has some interesting information about Europeans’ reactions to New World epiphytes: “Bromeliads were first seen by Europeans on the initial voyage of Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) in 1492. Besides being one of history’s great navigators, Columbus was also a sensitive naturalist who was fascinated by all he saw in the New World. On one visit ashore he remarked in his journal that he had encountered an extraordinary tree that had “branches of different kinds, all on one trunk, and one twig is of one kind and another of another and so unlike that it is the greatest wonder of the world . For instance, one branch has leaves like a cane, others like mastic; and thus on one tree five or six kinds, and all so different.” (p. 156) “In those early days, any air plant was referred to as a form of mistletoe, the only other “air plant” with which Europeans had had experience.”(p.156) Photograph taken by Eric Guinther of epiphytes (bromeliads and orchids) on a tree branch in a garden setting in Hawaii. Focus on Small and Miniature Bromeliads by Paul Wingert When I started growing bromeliads in 1975, my space was considerably more restricted than it is for me today. I had a couple of windows and a 3-tier fluorescent light cart as my growing space. That naturally led to choosing smaller plants for my collection. Fortunately, my good friend and mentor- Lou Wilson had an extensive fluorescent light garden for growing his bromeliads. He was very fond of miniature broms, and seemed to know just where to find them. Even after Lou left Michigan and moved to Florida (where he certainly could have grown a lot more of the big stuff), his fondness for small broms continued, and his collection of minis expanded in a big way! Now for purposes of further discussion, I’ll define “small” as plants that mature at 7-11 inches (so, clearly under 1 foot in diameter), and miniatures as 7 inches or smaller. The way I grow them under fluorescent lights, I can manage to fit about 30 small plants under a 4 foot, 3-4 tube florescent fixture. If I concentrate on miniatures, I can squeeze about 60 plants in that same space. Fortunately, the bromeliad family is comprised of an incredible variety of species that fit the criteria, and countless hybrids from which to choose. I’ll list a few of my favorites, below. Aechmea recurvata - There are several varieties of this charming little species. It is easy to grow, and most of the varieties bloom in the depths of winter when relatively few other plants are in bloom. Billbergia ‘Lou Wilson’- This is a hybrid by Don Beadle that was appropriately named as a tribute to the aforementioned lover of miniature broms. The plant pictured is growing in a 4” pot. It can be allowed to grow even into a nice little clump in the same pot. Other highly recommended Billbergias include the species B. nutans and hybrids, B. ‘Carioca’, B. ‘ Poquito Mas’, B. ‘Poquito Blanco’ , and B. ‘Tequila Sunset’. Cryptanthus ‘Pink Starlite’- One of the beautiful little “earth stars”, and one of a very few plants that will keep a nice pink color all year round with good light. It is one of the best natural “light barometers” that money can buy! Encholirium ‘Angelita’ - Originally recognized from plants grown from the Bromeliad Society Seed Fund. It was first thought to be a Dyckia hybrid, but the terminal inflorescence combined with the fact that it reproduces true from seed have established that it is a species in the genus Encholirium . A succulent leaved terrestrial, it will form a small clump in a 4” pot. Neoregelia ampullacea - Depending on the botanical treatment, this can be considered another widely variable species. Neo.’Punctate’ and ‘Punctate Red’ are likely to be considered varieties of the species. All are small, tubular rosettes that send out pups on wiry stolons. The plants in this group are all wonderful candidates for making exciting new hybrids! Neoregelia cyanea - This is another true miniature. It blooms in the summer time with sky blue flowers and red bracts and berries. I’ve used it to good effect in some of my favorite hybrids to shrink some other plants down to a manageable size. Pictured on the right is my Neo. ‘Sunny Delight’. The pollen parent was a Neo. concentrica hybrid that grew to about 18” across. Hybridizing with Neo. cyanea brought the resulting hybrid down to just about 11” across. Neoregelia liliputiana- The ultimate miniature bromeliad! The reference from ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ barely does it justice! Rosettes are about 2-3” in diameter. The blue flowers in summer are nearly half the size of the plant. They look almost ridiculously out of proportion! Other Neoregelia spp. to consider are N. smithii, N. Fireball, N. olens, N. pauciflora, N. bahiana (pictured on left) , and N. sarmentosa. There are actually several good Orthophytums that are candidates for the “small” collection. Orthophytum saxicola- This species is a real mini, with individual rosettes of coppery orange that mature at about 4” across. A short stem with several white flowers emerges during the summer. Another genus with several good candidates is Deuterocohnia . In nature, these plants can be found in impressive large clusters covering several meters of ground. The best mini is D. brevifolia. A single rosette looks ridiculously small in a 4” pot! It takes a few generations of growth before needing to be potted on, or split up. A genus of 400+ spp. can be counted on to provide a few good minis. It would be possible to have a significant collection of nothing but miniature Tillandsias. Here’s a short list- T. aeranthos T. argentina T. bergeri T. bulbosa . T. funckiana T. crocata T. ionantha T. harrisi T. stricta I apologize if I left off anyone’s favorites! Furthermore, I haven’t mentioned any of the species from subgenus Diaphoranthema , which consists of about 30 spp.[ed. note: including ball moss, T. recurvata, and Spanish moss, T. usneoides , and practically all miniatures! Finally, the genus Vriesea is another large group. There are several colorful hybrids that fit my definition of “small”, but I’ll close by mentioning just a couple of cute miniature species- V. bleherae- narrow, strongly discolor leaves (purple leaf undersides) and a short yellow flower spike. V. racinae- a nice, full rosette of green leaves which are spotted with lots of little red circles, especially on the leaf undersides. Full size is just about 5” across. This is just a small sampling of what exists. I look forward to showing my collection of small and miniature bromeliads at the September meeting. .