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 ! 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 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.

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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 burle-marxii to show us. This is found in . The Hohenbergia 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 . The flowers eventually produce . They prefer a sunny to half-shady situation in fresh to moist soil. Mike grows this 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’. ‘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 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 ‘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, 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 ,

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 i c 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. Judging will be done by the members present. It should be a lot of fun!

Each plant will have a sheet of paper positioned in front of it on which you will record your score which will be out of a total of 10. You will not score your own plant. We have drawn up some guidelines to assist you in preparing your plant and what you would use to calculate your score when judging a plant on show: • Check the pot, it shouldn’t be a fancy pot, it must be clean and in good condition. • The soil must be weed free, no fancy ground cover is allowed, pebbles

or bark is fine. • The plant mustn’t be ‘buried’ in the pot with the soil level being too high. • It is tempting to plant too deeply so the plant doesn’t topple over. • The plant should be in the centre of the pot and stable, not wobbly. • There should be no dead leaves at the base of the plant or anywhere Lyn, telling us about her species plant, else. Lemeltonia triglochinoides, unaware there were some keen takers for it to be • There must be no evidence of scale or other pests/diseases or problem a give away- plant !!! LOL!!!!!! Needless marks. to say, after much joking around, she • The leaves must be trimmed neatly to remove all blemishes. was not parting with it! • The plant must be clean in the centre and between the leaves.

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• Debris can be removed with a pair of tweezers. • No artificial leaf cleaner to shine the leaves is allowed. • The plant must have a good form and colour. • A must have all dead and dying flowers removed. • If staked this must be neatly done. • Tillandsia, if mounted, must be firmly mounted. They can be potted too. • We will allow plants without name labels this time round but it would be great if you have your plant labelled. • The label must be neat and tidy with ONLY the plants name. • Should you wish to put your name on your plant/pot please ensure it is NOT VISIBLE to the judges ie. all of us! We will go through all of this again at our February meeting. It’s a good idea to start looking at your plants now and plan what you could enter in the show, giving them time to be groomed and looking their best. Hold thumbs they bloom at the right time!

Member News • A very big welcome to new international member Mark Brewer from Zimbabwe, returning country member Carlo Engelbrecht from Nelspruit and new local member Gail Allner. • Our winner in the BSI Annual Membership Draw is Avikar Chunilall! a country member from Durban. Congratulations!! • We are very sorry to learn that our country member John Kloppers from Groblersdal passed away on 19th December. Our thoughts and condolences are with Maryna and the family as they come to terms with their loss.

Thanks • Kobus and Annetjie Venter for hosting our first meeting of 2019! • Members who brought in their magnificent blooming bromeliads, (some rather large and heavy) for us all to enjoy! • For bringing Lucky Draw plants, Dr Pete Pfister, Lyn Wegner and Barbara Black. • Dr Pete Pfister and Marianne Hillstead for hosting the fabulous end of year Bring and Braai function. • Everyone who participated in the end of year Auction, donating items and spending cash, we raised an awesome R1555.00 for the society, well done everyone! • All the members who brought puddings! • As always, all the folks who pitch in and take their turns helping Marianne Hillstead It was great to welcome a with tea and tidying up afterwards at the meeting venues. new member at the meeting, Gale Allner. We hope you spend many Congratulations to the January Raffle Winners! happy years with all of us. • Gale Kockjeu chose Neoregelia ‘Gold Fever’ x johannis. • M i c h a e l M c C l a r e n c h o s e T i l l a n d s i a riohondoensis. • Pam Stoltz chose Neoregelia ‘Picasso’. • Miriam Kennard chose Nidularium ‘Bahia’ novar. • Philip Visagie from Pretoria chose Tillandsia balbisiana. • Shaun Hope from Johannesburg chose Billbergia ‘Cherry Cordial’. • Johan Bouwer from Graaff-Reinet chose Neoregelia ‘Caramac’. • Petro and Callie Erasmus from Levubu chose Tillandsia balbisiana.

There were quite a lot of Lucky Draw Winners: L ucky local raffle winners, Gale Kockjeu, Miriam Kennard, Pam Stoltz lucky winners! Always good to go home with an and Michael McClaren. unexpected plant to nurture and grow. ∗ Please note that the Lucky Draw is not a Raffle, you have to be present to claim your prize! We welcome plant donations from our members for the Lucky Draws.

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From the Chairman - Dudley Reynolds

Greetings to all our Bromeliad enthusiasts. It is with great anticipation that we await our very first 'Judged Show' at the end of March. This will initially be a fun event which hopefully will become a reoccurring annual event, becoming more comprehensive as we go along. This exercise will be an excellent learning curve, not only for the newbies, but also for us older growers to cultivate and display our bromeliads in a correct and acceptable way.

Thankfully the dry spell has been interrupted with some nice showers and thunderstorms recently. The grass is certainly looking a lot greener and the Bromeliads more striking in their vivid array of colouration. O ur intrepid chairman Dudley Reynolds with Tracy With our 10th Birthday coming up in July, any suggestions would be and Robert Moss. appreciated of how you would like to celebrate this special milestone in the history of our society. Maybe even a visit from some of our country members would be wonderful, adding to the festivities of the event. Until next time, everything of the best and HAPPY BROMMING!

From the Committee • Please could members remember to collect your name badge from Betty or the container she keeps them in when you arrive at the meeting. Some of us are of a certain age….. ummm…. bad at remembering names and stuff!!!!! We know the faces well, but the names elude us at times! It is also good for us all to get to know each other, especially for welcoming new members. • We currently have 144 members, 69 local (East London), 70 country (other parts of South Africa) and 5 international, 1 each from Colorado US, Houston US, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda. We have 11 members who belong to the BSI. It’s not about membership, these numbers are just for interest sake, it is our love of these amazing plants that is at the core of our membership, GROW ON!!!!! • In an effort to cut down on using those horrible styrofoam cups at the meetings, which are not environmentally friendly, we would like to encourage all our members to bring along their own mugs for tea time. Thank you to those of you who already do! • We wish Dudley and Albie Reynolds well with the big move to their new home soon. Wow, all those plants to move! But also a wonderful opportunity to recreate a special space to show off all his magnificent plants to their best advantage.

Upcoming Society Events

24th February: To be hosted by Gale Kockjeu at 3 Greenan Street, Berea. We gather at 2.00 for a prompt start at 2.30pm. Please remember to bring your mug and a chair if you want a seat. Also we encourage all our members to bring any interesting Bromeliad/Tillandsia you would like to show off, discuss, have identified or just share with the members during Show and Tell. Topic: Tillandsia – Flowering and Form. Members are requested to bring their Tillandsia and tell us a bit about them. 31st March: To be held at Little Beacons Pre-Primary Hall in Beacon Bay. Our first attempt to have a mini judged show! More about this at the February meeting. 28th April: Hosted by Brian and Bridget Kroger in Beacon Bay. 28th July: ELBSSA 10th Birthday Celebrations!!! At 18 Wentworth Road in Sunnyridge

Upcoming International Conferences (start saving)

2019: ‘Golden Broms’ 17th - 20th October 2019 Hosted by the Gold Coast Succulent and Bromeliad Society Inc. at the Sea World Resort on the Gold Coast. This will be the 20th Australasian Bromeliad Conference. For contact information go to the conference website at www.goldenbroms.com

2020: WBC2020 To be held in Sarasota, , USA 9-16 June 2020. Some exciting conference visits planned to Michael’s Bromeliads, Tropiflora Nursery and Selby Botanical Gardens. Watch this space and the Conference Corner at bsi.org for more details!

2021: This bi-annual Australasian Bromeliad Conference will again be hosted by The New Zealand Bromeliad Society. ‘Kiwi Broms’ April 8thh - 11th 2021, venue: Waipuna Hotel.

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From the Members

Many of you will remember

Chris van Zyl who we came t o k n o w w e l l w h i l e attending many meetings when he was resident in East London, an inventive bromeliad fanatic with creative ways of mounting

Bromeliads and Tillandsia either to accommodate his limited space as he often A bove, an old spring bedstead Chris used to mount lives and works away from his mini tilly collection. Now who would have home, but still needing thought of that? Below, just a few of his bromeliads some of his plants around in the garden. him . He has now moved all his Tillandsia and Bromeliads to his garden in Somerset

West and they are thriving! It never reaches below 10*c An old wooden gate used as a mount for and luckily no hail or frost to Tillandsia. Another example below! contend with. Another huge Dyckia collection from abroad is on its way to S/

West. “I have realised how well Dyckia are doing in Cape Town weather. Right: this is (was) an old wooden gate which I beefed up with various colours of Tillandsia tricolor. I found that the moistness around the tillies was retained quite well, seemingly the wooden door also absorbing water when I do irrigation, e s p e c ia ll y d ur i n g t he extreme tough drought season we have had in the Western Cape.” Chris also sent some short video clips of his garden and I love the way he has laid everything out and suspended plants from trees which provide welcome shady areas.

L o o k i n g s o g o o d considering the dreadful drought conditions you have endured for so long. You are definitely on our list to visit when we visit the Western Cape again Chris!

Lyn Wegner sent in some photos and information on some of her stunning broms t h a t h a v e r e c e n t l y A bove, the spectacular Alcantarea bloomed in her collection. regina. Left, Canistrum alagoanum. C a n i s t r u m a l a g o a n u m

East London Bromeliad Society South Africa February 2019 Page 7 blooming for the first time! It is endemic to Brazil. The plant is potted and growing in a sunny spot. It has clumped nicely but taken a while to bloom. The foliage is a maroony colour, spiny, about 50cm long and 3cm wide and has a slightly flared from. The inflorescence is beautiful, orange with yellow flowers.

A first time blooming for me! Wow! I love it! Alcantarea regina (photo previous page) has fairly narrow, ever so faintly striated green leaves which curl at the ends. I find the form rather appealing. The inflorescence is beautiful! It is planted in the garden together with other Alcantarea varieties and is in full sun for most of the day. I don’t get to water this area often but despite this it seems to be very happy. Quesnelia tubifolia bloomed in November for the first time. It originates from Brazil where it grows as a stoloniferous epiphyte on the uppermost branches of 30 to 40m high trees. The inflorescence is a stunning pink with blue flowers, unfortunately, as with other Quesnelia, doesn’t last for too long. The plant is small, about 26cm tall. The leaves have a thin orange edge and are 2.5cm wide, yellowy green and spined. The inner leaves are black towards the base. It is as though the plant has had an elastic band around it in 2 places as it has 2 indentations on the upright growth. Mine is in a sunny spot, recently mounted Quesnelia tubifolia Aechmea retusa a n d h a s p u p s developing!

I was excited to find my Aechmea retusa flowering, potted and growing in a sunny spot in the garden.

Dr Pete Pfister’s Dyckia ‘Big Black’ on the right, has amazingly developed 3 spikes!

From the Editor

There is lots to digest in this newsletter so I’ll keep it brief, two exciting things to look forward to this year, our first Fun Judged Show and our 10th birthday celebration in July. Any ideas you may have to mark the

occasion, please do tell a committee member, we really want to make it extra special. Dyckia ‘Big Black’

Eddie and I have been looking around our garden for bromeliads that might be suitable to enter into the show, we have never done anything like this before! There are some, but oh dear, the sun has been cruel to some which has caused burn so it will be hard to choose. I must say it has made me look at our plants in a slightly different way though; is it really growing in the correct spot, to grow to its best potential as far as light is concerned, is it overcrowded? Definitely lots to ponder on, even just from a gardening perspective! Enjoy the exercise, (when it cools down! Haha!). Thank you to all of you who keep in touch and send photos and information and also those few members of the society who share on our Facebook page. I really want to encourage you to upload your photos, you have no idea how much it is appreciated by other members. Remember that many of those on the FB site are not members of ELBSSA. Consider doing it as is an extension of our society, so that we can show what is happening in South Africa and harness social media to learn, share and appreciate our beautiful plants together with other like-minded souls all over the world. Keep it up to those of you who do, so easy with an android cell phone!

Happy bromming and blessings from me to all of you for another wonderful year of learning and growing our precious plants.

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This is a publication for the East London Bromeliad Society, South Africa for the interest of its members. Articles may be used by non profit societies with acknowledgement to the author where applicable and East London Bromeliad Society South Africa. Please use the photos that accompany the article used. If you require higher resolution photos please request them from the Editor. Any opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily those of the Society.

When submitting items for inclusion in this newsletter, please ensure that all facts and information, including spelling, is checked and accurate.

ELBS SA is an affiliate of the Bromeliad Society International. Address: c/o 18 Wentworth Road, Sunnyridge, East London 5201 South Africa, [email protected]

We meet on the last Sunday of every month at 2.00 for 2.30pm, January to November, at various venues around East London. We have a topic for each meeting and Show and Tell where members are encouraged to bring along their brag or problem plants. There are member raffles, lucky draws for those present, tea time, library and member plant sales, plus a monthly newsletter sent out via e-mail only. Visitors are always welcome and can attend three meetings before they will need to join the society in order to continue attending. Annual subs are R120.00 for individuals/families and R60 for students.

Committee Members

Chairman: Dudley Reynolds 079 488 2360 [email protected] Vice- Chairman: Dr Peter Pfister 082 625 5533 [email protected] PRO & Secretary: Lyn Wegner 043 736 1737 082 970 2293 [email protected] Treasurer: Lynn Friend 043 748 2271 083 318 1179 [email protected] Editor & Publisher: Barbara Black 043 7212775 O72 1787 421 [email protected] Proof Reader: Lyn Wegner 043 736 1737 082 970 2293 [email protected] Raffles: Lyn Odendaal 043 726 1075 083 441 6813 [email protected] Librarian: Brenda Wegner 082 743 2141 [email protected] Catering: Marianne Hillstead 071 531 5146 [email protected] Events Co-ordinator: Brenda Wegner 082 743 2141 [email protected] Sound System Xenia Winter 043 726 2978 083 981 1312 [email protected] Webmaster Danie Taljaard 079 563 7725 danie@.co.za Additional member: Betty Heunis 073 226 1610 [email protected]

You will find ELBS on Facebook: [email protected] or type ‘East London Bromeliad Society’ into the fb search bar. You can request to join the group and will then be able to upload your photos and comments on the wall. The ELBS SA page and other bromeliad related sites are a useful and informative forum to share and ‘meet up’ with other like-minded bromeliad folks.

Back copies of all our newsletters can be accessed by joining the East London Bromeliad Society web page members section. You will find it at www.elbssa.co.za

You can view most of all the bromeliads mentioned in meetings or in the newsletter at the following websites:

The BSI’s official Bromeliad Cultivar Registry www.registry.bsi.org which is maintained by Geoff Lawn, the BSI Cultivar Registrar. Plus other information regarding the Bromeliad Society International is found at bsi.org

Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies: fcbs.org This is a very useful site to reference many bromeliads where you can clarify identification or just trawl through the site and add to your wish list!

Encyclopedia of Bromeliads - http://bromelia.club (Bromeliad Taxonomists and Growers Society) has photographs. It also now has keys for the genera and sub-genera. If you like to be informed what is happening, just follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bromeliadsencyclopedia Just type in ‘Encyclopeadia of Bromeliads’ into the Facebook search bar.

For internet resources you can also go to TAXON (The New Bromeliad List) for the most authoritative and right up to date list of genera and species, accepted and new names and taxonomic keys - http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/taxonList.php or just type in ‘New Bromeliad Taxon List’, it's much easier!

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