Vol 43 Number 2 April, May & June 2019 PUBLISHED BY: Editor- Derek Butcher. Assist Editor – Bev Masters Born 1977 and still offsetting!' COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2019-2020 President: Adam Bodzioch 58 Cromer Parade Millswood 5034 Ph: 0447755022 Secretary: Bev Masters 6 Eric Street, Plympton 5038 Ph: 83514876 Vice president: Peter Hall Treasurer: Annett Bellman Committee: Penny Seekamp Julie Batty Dave Batty Sue Sckrabei Jeff Hollinshead Kallam Sharman Pam Nelson Life members : Margaret Butcher, Derek Butcher, : Len Colgan, Adam Bodzioch : Bill Treloar Email address: Meetings Venue: Secretary – [email protected] Maltese Cultural Centre, Web site: http://www.bromeliad.org.au 6 Jeanes Street, Cultivar Register http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/bcr/index.php Beverley S.A. List for species names http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/taxonList.php http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/brom-l/ altern site http://imperialis.com.br/ FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK Pots, Labels & Hangers - Small quantities available all meetings. Time: 2.00pm. Second Sunday of For special orders/ larger quantities call Ron Masters on 83514876 each month. Exceptions –2019: 1st Sunday in May, 3rd Sunday March, June & September. - or unless advised otherwise (see dates below). No meeting in December VISITORS & NEW MEMBERS WELCOME. Goudaea ‘Sons of Tiger Tim’(Photo J Batty) MEETING & SALES 2019 DATES 14/07/2019 (Xmas in July, 1230 for 1pm Catered lunch after Garden related auction only) 11/08/2019 (Winter Brag), 15/09/2019 (Workshop Genera Tillandsia single specimen), 13/10/2019 (Midi to Large Neoregelia), 01/11/2019 (Set up hall), 2/11/2019 (Extravaganza: 9AM – 3PM), 3/11/2019(Extravaganza: 1000AM – 3PM) 10/11/2019 No Display or raffle (1200 start Committee, 130PM start main meeting, Pup/plant exchange, Special Afternoon tea – bring a plate of finger food to share, Auction) Applications for membership always welcome – Subs $15 single $25 Dual NOW OVER DUE 1. April, May & June 2019 BSSA Gazette April, May & June 2019 Gazette Index Page Details 1 Cover page – Photo: Goudaea ‘Sons of Tiger Tim’ Committee: Meeting & sales dates 2 Roving reporter April 2019 : Vriesea reitzii article 3 Vriesea reitzii article cont: Roving reporter April cont: 4 Roving reporter April cont: March Trophy & certificate winners: 5 March Trophy & certificate winners cont: 6 March Trophy & certificate winners cont: Roving Reporter May 2019 7 Roving Reporter May cont: Festival of Flowers: Garden visit 8 Roving Reporter June2019: Aechmea orlandiana var ‘Ensign’ article 9 Aechmea orlandiana var ‘Ensign’ article 10 Aechmea orlandiana var ‘Ensign' article: Roving Reporter June cont 11 Aechmea nudicaulis article: Roving Reporter June cont: Research Project 12 Stop Press July 14th: Gazette: Notice Board: Suggestion box: Dates for your Diary Roving Reporter April 2019 During the meeting I was lucky to sit next to a newbie who was keen to talk about her seed raising project using seed from a Neoregelia hybrid. She reported great germination and despite a few turning yellow she still had a pot full of ‘grass’. Seed raising is great fun because you are introducing NEW plants to your collection but with unknown possibilities. The chances of them looking like the plant the seed came from is very remote. The chances of getting something mediocre is high! BUT there is a chance you have grown something that is robust and colourful and unique. Bromeliads are very accommodating because they will remain as ‘grass’ if you leave them alone. If some (or one) show special promise it can be prised from the crowded bunch and given its own pot. After a year you will see whether your choice was a good one. When it flowers bring the plant/s into a meeting and see what others think of your hard work. It will be unique and you will have the right to name it The main topic was Patterned leaf Vrieseas and I was disappointed in that very few other plants were brought in for display. However, it did show that many of the plants brought in are at the new end rather than old established. This has advantages by showing what is new on the scene but raises problems as to identity which has me referring to the Bromeliad Cultivar Register to find out what history they may have. In the old days a plant nursery had to have sufficient stock to make it worthwhile to print a catalogue. These days with the internet you can start selling straight away without divulging history or proper identification. There are some great plants changing hands this way but the purchaser should keep the seller on his/her toes. Keen growers are invariably members of a plant group where names are even more important and if plants are awarded prizes they should at least be correctly identified. One example was the Popular plant award that went to George Nieuwenhoven with his Vriesea gigantea x ‘Mauna Kea’. Regrettably, it only identifies the parents and we know that the seed batch concerned would have produced a motley crew. How varied were they? Only the hybridist would know but does he? Did he release the seedlings before he could have made that decision. Perhaps George’s plant is the only one to survive! If we showed a photo it would only show what is in Adelaide and could give wrong impressions of what to expect from a plant with this name on the label from interstate. One that did stand out was Vriesea philippocoburgii in flower with its brilliant red primary bracts. A query was raised about the one with yellowish leaves and primary bracts with links to New Zealand although we do grow this plant in Adelaide, nobody seemed aware of Vriesea reitzii. Detail follows Vriesea philippocoburgii Vriesea reitzii compared Vriesea reitzii Leme & Costa Journ Bot Soc 1991 p195-198 General notes In November of 1990, during an expedition to Santa Catarina State, Jones C. da Silva, a bromeliad enthusiast of Rio Grande do Sul, Luiz Claudio Marigo, and I came across a vast, blooming population of a new Vriesea species in the neighbourhood of the pleasant town called Campo Alegra. The predominant color of the species, yellow, was everywhere, decorating the pine-forested landscape. 2. April, May & June 2019 BSSA Gazette This species, for which I propose the name Vriesea reitzii to honor the memory of Father Raulino Reitz is surprisingly common in the pine forest (Araucaria angustifolia} in the states of Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, and probably Parana. It grows epiphytically, seldom on the ground, at altitudes from 750 up to 1,200 meters, or higher, where the temperature could fall easily below zero degrees Centigrade. It was only a few days before our discovery that we learned about this ornamental species from Alvim Seidel, who had the plant identified as Vriesea philippocoburgii. In fact, in a broader conception adopted by Father Reitz, the new species had been misnamed as V. philippocoburgii. Our opinion, however, is that the new species can be visually differentiated by taking into consideration the typical populations from the Organ Mountains of Rio de Janeiro. The type specimen of Vriesea philippocoburgii was collected there and then typified by means of Wawra's beautiful painting. Vriesea reitzii is in fact related to Vriesea philippocoburgii but differs from it by the yellowish-green leaf blades with transverse, darker green lines, the yellow primary bracts, the branches with usually naked peduncles, as well as by the yellow floral bracts, strongly carinate and incurved toward the apex, and the yellow rachis. In Santa Catarina, the evidence suggests that Vriesea philippocoburgii concentrates its populations from sea level to about 500 meters. It is found growing at higher elevations, however, inside the Atlantic rain forest as well as the restinga vegetation of the state of Rio de Janeiro. With that protective cover it avoids the colder zones. Vriesea reitzii, on the other hand, is well adapted to the colder temperatures of higher altitudes, thus coinciding with the domain of the Brazilian pine. That being the case, temperature could be one of the most restricting factors of the differing altitude habitat preferences of these species. Talking about New Zealand reminds me of a discussion I had in 2017 regarding their newsletter on the same subject. This in turn reminded me that Penny Seekamp says very few newsletters are borrowed by members from the Library. I find them very entertaining where you find out what other Brom Societies around the world are doing. My Margaret is often heard chuckling in the kitchen when she is reading them. I expected the meeting on Patterned leaf Vrieseas to be mainly on Vriesea fosteriana and its variability and its variable hybrids but quickly learned I needed to broaden my horizon. Thanks to Barfuss et al there has been lots of changes in the broad Tillandsia group (this includes Vriesea) based mainly on new and different interpretations of their DNA. So Goudaea and Lutheria were on display. Luckily hybrid genera were not mentioned which would in theory contain Lutheria x Goudaea or x Vriesea etc. The mind boggles as to the number of such nothogenera (bigenerics) there could be. In the cultivar world there are already some 48 names listed against only 1 that is said to occur in the wild. Clearly creations of bigenerics are not on Mother Nature’s list! It was pointed out that both Goudaea (yellow spikes) and Lutheria (red spikes) have attractive flowers which cannot be said for the likes of Vriesea fosteriana. We can thank Peter Tristram for most of the Goudaea in Australia. In his importation of plants he had horrendous losses due to gassing by Dept of Ag. In years past I used to import Tillandsas and they were tough enough to suffer the gassing and survive.