NEWS East London LETTER February Bromeliad Society 2019 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! ELBSSA is an Affiliated Society of Bromeliad Society International January Meeting We kicked off the year with a fabulous first meeting held at the home of Kobus and Annetjie Venter in Berea. 30 members and 9 visitors enjoyed a feast of succulents, cacti, orchids and of course Blooming Bromeliads and Tillandsia. Our chairman Dudley Reynolds welcomed everyone back after the long holiday break. Kobus is the orchid collector. He started collecting around 1972. He told us that it starts with one, then you collect more and more. When they went on their travels around South Africa, Annetjie started noticing the beautiful succulents and started collecting them as well. She is well known around East London as the creator of mini succulent gardens in bowls, which she makes from scratch herself. Nowadays they don’t miss a nursery where Kobu s and Annetjie Venter there might be a chance of buying more succulents, from and some views of their Uppington all the way to Richards Bay! Kobus is scaling back amazing garden and plants! Below a hanging planter his orchid collection and Annetjie already has her eye on the made out of 2 old fan covers! space to make a bigger succulent and cacti garden! Their garden was a very popular entry in the Pam Golding Show Gardens of East London last year, it is a stunning collection of succulents, cacti, and a few bromeliads too, then t h e r e i s K o b u s ’ s shadehouse with all his orchids plus quite a large amount of Tillandsia as well. Thank you so much Kobus and Annetjie for welcoming us into your home and garden and sharing your incredible passion for plants with all of us. Next Meeting: Sunday 24th February at 2.00 for 2.30pm. To be hosted by Gale Kockjeu at 3 Greenan Street, Berea. Bring your mug, chair and a Tillandsia to show at the meeting. East London Bromeliad Society South Africa February 2019 Page 1 Blooming Bromeliads We had a good showing for this topic with members bringing some stunning plants to show and discuss. We will highlight a few of them below. Michael McClaren brought his huge, stunning Hohenbergia burle-marxii to show us. This species is found in Brazil. The Hohenbergia genus consists of about 55 species. The bluish green, simple leaves are basal. They are linear and sessile with serrate margins and parallel venation. It produces spikes of white tubular flowers. The flowers eventually produce berries. They prefer a sunny to half-shady situation in fresh to moist soil. Mike grows this plant in morning sun. Lyn Wegner brought two much Hohenbergia burle-marxii a d m i r e d b r o m s : A e c h m e a ‘ F a n t a s i a ’ a n d A e c h m e a ‘Friederike’. Aechmea ‘Fantasia’: This is a Patricia Bullis hybrid, registered 18 years ago, and is described as ‘one of our hybrids with green foliage with gray striation and a very distinctive symmetrical hot pink and Ae chmea ‘Fantasia’ yellow bloom’. According to the Photo Index at fcbs.org the seed parent is noted as an Ae. tessmannii hybrid. Mine is growing in filtered light, potted and it is exciting to have it bloom! A e c h m e a ‘ F r i e d e r i k e ’ : A spectacular inflorescence! and beautiful variegated, spineless foliage! It is a cultivar of Ae. ‘Fascini’ Aechmea ‘Friederike’ and it is interesting that they both have the seed parent Ae. chantinii and Ae. fasciata as the pollen parent. It is a Corn Bak hybrid registered in 2000. Mine is potted and growing in semi-shade. Dr Pete Pfister brought quite a few s p e c i e s b r o m e l i a d s . V r i e s e a lubbersii, Vriesea corcovadensis, Vriesea corcovadensis which can easily be mistaken for a Tillandsia with its growth form and Aechmea lubbersii was a real surprise showing, Aechmea fasciata, Canistropsis Yellow rubra foliage which Miriam Kennard won as a lucky draw plant, a few examples of Tillandsia capitata ‘Peach’ and Aechmea racinae x warasii. D u d l e y R e y n o l d s b r o u g h t Vrieslutheria ‘Kent’s Sunset’, Lutheria ‘Splenriet’, Aechmea ‘Alvarez’, Tillandsia ‘Maya’ Redcap, a hybrid Aechmea racinae x warasii Ae chmea ‘Alvarez’ East London Bromeliad Society South Africa February 2019 Page 2 of Tillandsia ‘Rio Hondo’ x T. capitata Red form. Aechmea ‘Alvarez’. A variegated plant from Aechmea leuddemanniana, can tolerate sunny conditions. Lovely example of variegated Vrieslutheria ‘Kent’s Sunset’, this was previously known as Vriesea ‘Kent’s Sunset’. A cultivar of Vr. sucrei x Lutheria ‘Splenriet’ var formosa by J. Kent. Dudley also brought Lutheria ‘Splenriet’ a hybrid of Lutheria splendens, (Flaming Sword). This bromeliad can tolerate shady conditions, often commercially sold as an indoor plant. Robert Moss brought a stunning ball of Tillandsia stricta stiff leaved form, Tillandsia tricholepis and another large Tillandsia incorrectly purchased some years ago as T. reuteri. Lyn queried this with Pamela Koide-Hyatt; and she T illandsia stricta stiff leaved form. responded: ‘The branches and Vrieslutheria ‘Kent’s Sunset’ petals remind me of T. roezlii. The petals are very distinctive. The foliage is somewhat succulent but typically has dark blotches and banding and is quite attractive. I have seen some that do not have any dark coloring or banding so this could be what you have’. Barbara Black brought a Tillandsia c a p i t a t a ‘ P e a c h ’ ( n o w T . Tillandsia tricholepis riohondoensis?). I was very excited it was conveniently blooming in time for the meeting as the flowers don’t last too long. The other one I have is half the size of this form. I grow it in morning sun hanging in a tree. Prefers dry, desert conditions and they are native to Mexico, H o n d u r a s , C u b a a n d t h e Dominican Republic. They are more commonly found attached Pam Koide-Hyatt has suggested this to rocks, rather than trees and can could be Tillandsia roezlii? survive cool to cold conditions. Pete says it pups quite prolifically. Til l a n ds i a f a sc ic u l a t a T ro p if lo ra I also brought Tillandsia fasciculata ‘Tropiflora’. This is one of two I have blooming at the moment, a really stunning Tillandsia, this is the second generation blooming for me. They are grown hard, in full sun and the stiff leaves have a really nice burgundy colour to them. I have a third sibling that is T illandsia capitata ‘Peach’ not showing signs of producing an inflorescence this year, we can perhaps look forward to it next summer. It is from Dennis and Linda Cathcart’s Tropiflora Nursery in Sarasota. It reaches over 30cm across with a heavy spike of thick red branches that T illandsia fasciculata ‘Tropiflora’ last in colour for almost a year. The flowers are blue/purple and come out of each bract one at a time. I don’t fertilise any of my plants, there are just toooooo many! This is likely a East London Bromeliad Society South Africa February 2019 Page 3 natural hybrid of T. fasciculata x compressa that Dennis got from Jamaica over 40 years ago. Lyn commented that Pam Koide-Hyatt mentioned in her talk at the San Diego WBC last year that the T. fasciculata group of plants needs some attention in terms of classification. Show and Tell Lyn Wegner: I noticed this by accident t h at Ne or e ge li a ‘V ict oria ’ h a s produced 2 ‘heads’ in the cup. I wonder how unusual this is? Lyn also brought a Hohenbergia stellata mother plant with no foliage and for all purposes looking like it had no life left in it, lo and behold, two pups have appeared! So, just a reminder, if you have that special Bromeliad, hang on to the old mother Ho henbergia stellata Lyn Wegner’s Neoregelia ‘Victoria’ with for a while, she just may push out two ‘heads’ in the cup. another pup for you. Species Talk - Lyn Wegner Lemeltonia (previously Tillandsia) triglochinoides. It grows as an epiphyte, on trees in the forests in Ecuador and Peru. It likes to be moderately damp and positioned in semi-shade. I must say mine does pretty well considering it is grown in a wire hanging basket in a fairly sunny spot and it isn’t watered too often. I am going to pay it more attention and maybe I will be rewarded for my efforts! It is wonderfully fragrant in the evening. It’s not what you would describe as super spectacular but I find it most attractive. Preparing Plants for a Show - Lyn Wegner Lemeltonia triglochinoides Our very first fun ‘Show’ is scheduled for our March meeting and will be held at the Little Beacons School in Beacon Bay. Depending on the success and enthusiasm of our members we hope to make this an annual event. There will be 4 categories: Blooming Tillandsia, Blooming Bromeliads, Non Blooming Tillandsia and Non Blooming Bromeliads. ∗ You must have owned and grown the plant for more than 6 months.