Bromeliad Society

Vol 49 No 5 May, 2016

AFTER WORLD BROMELIAD CONFERENCE PARTY — RESERVATIONS REQUIRED A party is planned for June 25 for all BS/H members to celebrate the conclusion of the Houston World Confer- ence! If you would like to attend the After the Show Par- ty on June 25, you need to RSVP by June 10, 2016. Please RSVP to Allyn Pearlman at [email protected] or 713-858-3047. This is a catered function and reserva- tions are required.

MEETING DATE: Tuesday, May 17, 7:30 p.m. Nita Ankenbruck has graciously agreed to host the party at her residence, which is a treat itself. PROGRAM SPEAKER: Paul T. Isley So, mark your calendars for Saturday, June 25. The party PROGRAM TITLE: begins at 5:30 p.m. If you have special dietary needs “Tillandsias — Past, Present and Future” please request them when making your reservations. Paul’s program will focus on his favorite , Tilland- Thanks and hope to hear from you soon! sia. “While tillandsias were virtually unknown to the Thanks, public until recently, they have now become mainstream Allyn and will continue to grow in popularity as they become more well known, their care becomes better understood, MAP TO NITA ANKENBRUCK’S and more attractive and different species, cultivars and DIRECTIONS TO NITA ANKENBRUCK’S: SOUTH ON hybrids become available.” See page 4 for more infor- 288 TO 518. LEFT ON 518 T0 O’DAY. TURN NORTH AT mation.. THE CHEVRON STATION, THEN LEFT AT KELLY DRIVE. NITA’S ADDRESS IS 6222 KELLY DRIVE, 3RD SEEDLING: Neoregelia ‘Mouser’ HOUSE ON THE LEFT (281-485-1703). Provided by Jimmy Woolsey. Small Neo hybrid ALTERNATE DIRECTIONS: BELTWAY 8 TO 35. SOUTH good for hanging baskets. Picture courtesy of ON 35 TO 518, THEN WEST ON 518. TURN NORTH ON Jimmy. O’DAY AT THE CHEVRON STATION, THEN LEFT ON KELLY DRIVE, ETC., AS ABOVE. MEETING AGENDA:

 Greetings/Call to Order/Paul Isley Sale  Show and Tell  Meeting  Break/Refreshments/Buy raffle tickets  Program  Raffle  Adjourn

JUNE PROGRAM: WBC — Bromeliads Texas Style NEXT BOARD MEETING: Thurs., 5/19 , 7:00 p.m. NO JUNE MEETING OR BULLETIN! ***Please note: Paul Isley will be selling , so there will not be a member sale at this meeting! President’s Page

don’t think anything is scarier than a blank page, unless, possibly, it is a dead- line. So, what would you call a blank page AND a deadline. Sheer terror! I Unfortunately I am being confronted by both. Deep breath, clear head, grasp keyboard, and start writing.

I was extremely disappointed that I could not hear Andy Siekkinen’s presentation on Hechtias. Hopefully we can reschedule Andy in the near future. Unfortunately, Mother Nature chose to bless us with a drought-preventing frog-strangler, gully- washer, stump mover, goose-drownder, or fence lifter. Whichever term you choose, that was much more H2O than I care to see.

I hate to call off a meeting, but sometimes it has to be done. Although the Multi- Service center was high and dry, many of the roads in Harris and surrounding coun- ties were not. I would have felt terrible if someone was injured attempting to get to the monthly meeting. My thoughts go out to those who had to deal with the aftermath of the flooding. Hopefully you had good insurance. This month will be different. For the May meeting, I anticipate Paul Isley bringing typical California weather with him. I want mild temperatures, sunshine, and blue skies.

Paul is a Tillandsia grower from way back. He is associated with Rainforest Flora located in Torrance, CA. Rainforest was formed by Paul, Jerry Robinson, and Bill Harris in the mid 1970s. Rainforest supplies some of the best grown Til- landsias in the world. Paul is a fountain of tillandsia knowledge. I look forward to his sharing it with us. I anticipate his bring a few plants to sell at the meeting.

There will be a seeding distributed at the May meeting. As best I remember, it will be one of the small Neoregelias. The plant will NOT be potted. I have asked John Schmidt to take some time during his Show and Tell presentation to talk about potting a Neo. pup. He might possibly even demonstrate how to do it.

I attended the plant sale on Saturday the 7th. As usual, Allyn Pearlman and his crew did a great job. If you missed the sale, you passed up an opportunity to purchase some well grown plants at very reasonable prices. The plants were some of the best grown that I can remember. I usually don’t single out one grower, but in this case I am going to do so. I was greatly impressed by the plants John Schmidt offered for sale. As you may or may not know, John is one of our newer members (going on 5 years if I remember correctly). It is uplifting to see how well John grows his plants. He grows mostly species, and he does a fantastic job. I wish I had his skill, passion and boundless energy.

Good news – WBC 2016 is just around the corner. June 13th will be rolling around much quicker that we realize. If you need up to date information about the conference, check out the BSI website at http://www.bsi.org/new/ . The con- ference committee is working with the BSI webmaster to make sure that the information is up to date and correct. Sev- eral of the committee chairs are still looking for volunteers. If you can assist for a few hours sometime during the week, contact Steve Reynolds, Ruby Adams, or Vickie Gurka and make arrangements to lend a hand.

Bad news – There will NOT be a Bromeliad Society/Houston meeting in June.

Good news – We will be having an after party BBQ to celebrate a job well done. The party will be on June 25th. The food supplier needs a head count of those attending. Please RSVP to Allyn Pearlman ( [email protected] ) or me ( [email protected] ) no later than June 10th. We want to make sure that we have plenty of food to go around.

Looking forward to seeing you at the meeting.

BSH Family

According to definition: Our BSH Family is a group of people sharing a common love of bromeliads. WOW, family, check the latest BSH Yearbook. Guess what? Y ou are a member of the BSH Family. It is May, 2016, and the BSH Family needs all hands on board, "Texas Style" to present a spectacular World Bromeliad Conference 2016, here in Hou- ston, Texas, June 14-19, 2016. So for the WBC 2016, please put your name beside two or more items of need for WBC 2016: I. Love to Everyone II. Donations for Welcome/Registration Bags 1. Cash of $10.00 to Allyn, treasurer 2. Bundles of 20 or more to Ruby or Vickey a. purse size kleenex b. note pads c. pens/pencils d. sanitizer e. individual size packages cookies/candy

Thanks, Ruby Adams and Vickey Gurka 2 World Bromeliad Conference Update

The Conference is right around the corner and the pace is really picking up. We need everyone's help. Vol- unteers are especially needed for Security on all days, in the Sale Room checking people out (pulling tags, running credit cards, boxing up purchases), and directing people at David Klein's on the Thursday morning Optional Tour. You do not have to be registered to volunteer. Please let Cherie Lee know if you can help out.

As an incentive to volunteer, all volunteers may receive $5 off the purchase of either a T-shirt or Polo shirt. Please order this discounted shirt directly through Vickey Gurka, Ruby Adams or Allyn Pearl- man. All other purchases of commemorative items may be done from the BSI website. Remember the dead- line for ordering is May 15th.

Donations are also needed. You do not have to be a registrant to donate. Cash may be donated for various functions on the BSI website or through Allyn Pearlman. Raffle baskets and/or items for raffle baskets may be donated by contacting Vickey Gurka or Mary Cinotto. Please get items for raffle baskets to Mary by May 17th so there is time to make up the baskets. If you are donating a completed basket, it would be helpful if you could bring it directly to the conference but please let Vickey know.

The Rare Plant Auction on Friday night will consist of both a BSI and a Cryptanthus Society International (CSI) auction. There will be live and silent auctions for both. Please let Cherie Lee know if you will be do- nating any items and if you have an auction preference for the items. When you arrive at the conference, Registration will assist you with storing your donation items.

Don't forget to sign up for the welcome BBQ at Jimbo's on Wednesday night. Deadline is June 1st. Sign up and pay on the BSI website or through Allyn Pearlman. Cost is $65 for registrants, $75 for non- registrants. This includes transportation and lots of good eats, drinks (including beer and wine), and conver- sations.

And last but not least, if you haven't registered for the conference, please do so now. This will allow more time for the Registration and Hospitality volunteers to prepare name tags, gift bags, etc., etc.

A genuine thank you to all those who have been working so hard on planning the conference and to all of you who are willing to help us out!

Take care, Steve Reynolds, Chairman

WBC 2016 Sales Announcement

Jimmy Woolsey is requesting that everyone planning to sell at World Conference please contact him for a sales application so he can make sure that everyone has a legitimate sales number and gets paid for what they sell.

You can reach him by email ([email protected]) or call 409-925-6933.

3 Meet our May Speaker: Paul Isley

Paul T. Isley III is a native Southern Californian who graduat- ed from UCLA where he was first introduced to Tillandsia by his good friend, Mark Dimmitt in the mid 1960s.. Paul began Genus Tillandsia in 1974 and two years later the name was changed to Rainforest Flora, Inc. Also in 1976 Jerry Robinson joined Paul and they have built Rainforest Flora, Inc. into one of the world’s prem- ier Bromeliad operations. Besides being the largest grower and distributor of Tillandsia, RFI is also the only nursery of any size that self-produces almost all of its Tillandsia inventory. Since “Tillys” take between 4 and 25 years to mature from seeds, producing most of their tillandsias in a sustainable way has been their proudest achievement.

They have also introduced many incomparable bromeliad and Tillandsia species, cultivars, and hybrids to the marketplace. They are thrilled that Tillandsia hybrids exhib- it tremendous hybrid vigor, growing much larger with correspondingly larger blooms than either par- ent. Rainforest Flora distributes their “homegrown” tillandsias, bromeliads and staghorn ferns to various chain stores like Home Depot and Trader Joe's, garden centers and nurseries, retail (rainforestflora.com) internet and walk-in consumers and botanical gardens around the U.S. and the world. The plants are becoming exceptionally popular in Asia and they seem to treasure the more rare and spectacular Tillys. In America, they are being used more and more by cutting edge interior landscapers who are looking for special, modern looking plants that are easy to maintain.

Paul published his book, Tillandsia, in 1987 and this large format coffee table book has since become a collec- tor’s item, garnering hundreds of dollars in the used book market. He came out with Tillandsia II (2009) which has more pages and photos, species changes and a new chapter devoted to Tillandsia hybrids. Many things have changed since the publication of Tillandsia not the least of which has been the evolution and development of the internet, better and faster computers, digital cameras, and cell phones. These developments will greatly assist in the dissemination of the knowledge of and interest in bromeliads in general and tillandsias in particular.

Paul’s program will include discussion of some of the different plants of the bromeliad genus, Tillandsia, which exhibit greater varieties of shape, color, and size than those of any other plant genus. This, combined with their epiphytic nature that allows them to be grown on virtually anything and virtually anywhere that doesn't freeze, will allow them to become one of if not THE dominant ornamental plants going into the future. While the bulk of the world's trade is based on plants that are taken from the environment, the fact that it takes years to produce them from seeds is the limiting factor to the rise of the popularity of a broader range of choices.

SHOW TIME

Since May is the last BS/HI meeting before WBC 2016, please get your entry tags and entry sheets from me at the meeting. We are still desperate for entries. Remember, "Red" is beautiful, especially if the plant is color- ful or unusual. The show schedule is on the BSI website with the other WBC 2016 information. If you have a problem finding it, please call Rick or me.

Consider entering some of the Divisions that are not included in our annual shows, like a Hobbyist Display- Educational, Fantasy Gardens and Landscapes (Fairie Gardens) and Miniature Artistic Arrangements. Be sure to request cubes for displaying your Miniature Arrangements before May 12. Exhibitors, we need you to com- plete and return the new online Show Questionnaire ASAP.

If you are working Classification, Placement or Clerking, you need to get your instruction sheets from me at the May meeting. They have been changed, therefore you need to read (study) them before show time.

Thanks, Charlien

4 SHOW PREPARATION

By Rick Richtmyer

O. K. it’s almost show time. Please review the show preparation articles in the BS/H Bulletin from the past 3 months. This month we will cover a few last minute details to make life a little bit simpler when it is the day before the show. Here are some of the biggest problems we encounter when filling out show cards and entry sheets: Is the plant named properly, is the plant a species or hybrid, is the name valid and registered, and is the name spelled correctly? In order to be eligible for a top award the plant must be valid as a species, registered as a hybrid or listed by formula. You may find the genus and /or species name has been changed as this hap- pens more often than you may think. You can blame the taxonomists if you wish as it is their job to create or- der among the chaos.

The easy way to tackle this potential problem is to make a list of the plants that you are thinking might be show quality. Make this list ten days to two weeks ahead of the show and set aside the plants in a work area. Check for pictures of your plant to make sure your plant looks like recognized plant pictures. Be sure you have spelled the name of the genus and species correctly even if you ‘are positive’ your spelling is correct. I find mistakes all the time in plant names and spelling in our collection regardless of their source.

In the week before show time, determine if the plant is in the proper size pot, it is centered and is not leaning to one side. Now you can clean them up, pull out the weeds, check to be sure there is no scale, clean the outside of the pot or repot if the pot is in too bad a shape, clean the dirt and debris out of the leaf axils, cup and under- side of the leaves, and lastly, top dress the finished product or make sure the mix is clean and trim the tips of bad leaves (wait as long as possible to do this). The basic clean-up tools we use are new sharp scissors (several sizes), long handled tweezers, a bowl of clean water and Q-tips. Clean the tops and bottoms of leaves with the damp Q-tips to remove the dust, debris and dirt. They really work well! Review your clean up work the next day and I bet you will find more work is required on a few of the plants, especially if you worked late into the evening in poor light conditions. If you have a copy of the “Handbook For Judges” or can borrow one you can read what judges are trained to look for when judging a show. Believe me, a clean, presentable plant can make the difference between a blue ribbon or a red ribbon.

Now we are ready to enter our plants in the show. When you see the show room full of beautiful plants and exhibits, you will be very proud of yourself for being part of a show that Houston can have pride in.

There are a great many sources for pictures and correct spelling of plant names. Unfortunately they are not all in one place. Try to review this list ahead of time so you have an idea where to find the answer to your ques- tions. Much can be found on different websites or on Google, the rest in hard copy references.

Sources for Plant Identification (Partial List)

“An Alphabetical List of Bromeliad Binomials” by Harry Luther and Bruce Holst – September 2014; pub by MSBG and BSI. If you need a copy, call or email Rick Richtmyer. “Taxon List” by Derek Butcher and Eric Gouda http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/taxonList.php http://fcbs.org (species and hybrids) — Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bromeliaceae bsi.org - website under Bromeliad info - “Tillandsia” by Paul T. Isley lll, 1987; Botanical Press “Tillandsia ll” by Paul T. Isley lll, 2009; Botanical Press “Till-Cards,” Birdrock Tropicals by Pam Koide Hyatt “Blooming Bromeliads” by Ulrich and Ursula Baensch, 1994; Tropical Beauty Publishers “Bromeliads in the Brazilian Wilderness” by Elton M. C. Leme, 1993 “Bromeliads of the Atlantic Forest – ” by Elton M. C. Leme, 1997 “Bromeliads of the Atlantic Forest – Canistropsis” by Elton M. C. Leme, 1998 “Bromeliads of the Atlantic Forest – Nidularium” by Elton M. C. Leme, 2000 “Jewels of the Jungle – of Ecuador Part 1 ” by Jose M. Manzanares, 2002 “Jewels of the Jungle – Bromeliaceae of Ecuador Part ll Pitcairnioideae” by Jose M. Manzanares, 2005 “ of Venezuela” by Francisco Oliva-Esteva and Julian A. Steyermark, 1987 “Bromeliads” by Francisco Oliva-Esteve, 2000 5

May Texas Gulf Coast Fern Society www.tgcfernsoc.org Birthdays Regular meeting third Sunday of month at 2:00 PM Judson Robinson Jr. Community Center Nelwyn Anderson 5/02 2020 Hermann Drive Next meeting will be May 15, 2016 Elaine Stewart 5/07 Midge Gorman 5/08 Jane Littell 5/13 Ruby H. Adams 5/15 Cynthia Johnson 5/18 The Houston Orchid Society, Inc. www.houstonorchidsociety.org Regular meeting first Thursday of month at 7:30 PM First Christian Church 1601 Sunset Blvd Next meeting will be June, 2016 Meeting Refreshments

Member News Time again for the

N-Zs to step up and  Betty Garrison recently had a pacemaker bring refreshments implanted. She is home and doing well. She lost her sister in April. to the May meeting. The A-Ms could join  A new email address for Betty is: in, too, since the [email protected]. April meeting was rained out and we won’t have a June meeting, either. We also have a  Vickey Gurka’s home suffered flooding in special guest speaker this month, so it’s im- the recent heavy Houston rains. portant to have lots of good things on our re- freshment table! If you have never brought  Cynthia Johnson will be having surgery in refreshments or if it’s been a while, it’s time the near future to repair a bone in her left to chip in and bring something. If you don’t arm broken 4 years ago. cook, you can buy something simple, such as cookies or chips, at your local grocery store  Steve Reynolds plans on retiring soon. to bring. Coffee and punch will be furnished by the club as usual.

Jimbo’s Nursery

15019 8th St., Santa Fe,TX 77517, 409-925-6933

www.Jimbosnurserytx.com; email: [email protected]

We have a large selection of Aechmea, Billbergia, Cryptanthus, Dyckia, Ne- oregelia, and Tillandsia. Please compare our prices and our quality.

6 AFFILIATED WITH THE MEMBER OF BROMELIAD SOCIETY/HOUSTON INC. BROMELIAD SOCIETY SOUTHWEST BROMELIAD INTERNATIONAL GUILD

AFFILIATED WITH THE CRYPTANTHUS SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL

Officers and Chairmen About the Bromeliad Society/Houston President David Whipkey 21503 Cypress-Rosehill Road This corporation is organized exclusively for purely pub- Tomball, TX 77377 lic charity and strictly educational purposes. Specific 281-255-6154 goals of the Society shall be to: [email protected] Vice President Sam Chism Increase knowledge of bromeliads through inter- Secretary Charlien Rose Treasurer Allyn Pearlman change and dissemination of information. Past President Gene Powers Board of Directors Use such funds as are available for the purpose Term Expires of research and/or equipment in institutions of 12/31/16 12/31/17 12/21/18 higher learning within the State of Texas. Don Green Jan Garver Ruby Adams Steve Reynolds Rick Richtmyer John Schmidt There are two classes of membership: I. Standing Committees Individual $20.00 per year 1. Publicity Allyn Pearlman Family $30.00 per year Bulletin Editor Carole Richtmyer 2. Plant Sales Chairman Allyn Pearlman Members: Phil Speer, Lynn Friedman, All memberships begin with January of the current year. Ken Gardner 3. Programs Chairman Sam Chism Visit our website at www.bromeliadsocietyhouston.org Standing Committees Ex-Officio Members: for more information. Gene Powers/David Whipkey ______II. Committees of the Board 1. Annual Show None The Bulletin is published monthly and is mailed or e- 2. Bromeliad Culture TBA mailed to members of the BS/H, Inc. prior to monthly Members Chris Nguyen meetings. Articles and any other information pertinent to 3. Holiday Party Allyn Pearlman 4. Garden Tours John Schmidt bromeliads are solicited. Articles may be reprinted with 5. Historian David Whipkey proper acknowledgment given to author and publication. Vice Chairman Jimmy Woolsey 6. Hospitality Coordinator Verna Powers A Yearbook is published annually based on the member- Members: Daryl Page ship roll at the end of the regular February meeting of 7. Librarian Ruby H. Adams each year and distributed to members of the BS/H, Inc. 8. Membership Allyn Pearlman 9. Raffle Plants Cherie and Frank Lee, Please address any correspondence regarding this publica- Wray Page tion to: 10. Seedlings Provided by Jimmy Woolsey 11. Show & Tell John Schmidt assisted by Wray Page, Gary Gallick, Rick Richtmyer Carole Richtmyer 12. Members’ and Visitors’ Registrar Ken Gardner, 18814 Cypress Mountain Drive Noreen Tolman, Midge Gorman Spring, TX 77388 13. Courtesy Midge Gorman [email protected] 14. Webmaster Joy Reynolds Representatives Southwest Bromeliad Guild Charlien Rose, Ray Johnson Bromeliad Society International Gene Powers

Society May, 2016 Vol 49 No 5

Bromeliad

Carole Richtmyer 18814 Cypress Mountain Drive Spring, TX 77388

FIRST CLASS