Bromelcairns Bimonthly Newsletter of Cairns Bromeliad Societ Inc. 2011 # 5 P.O. Box 28 Cairns Queensland 4870 Austalia President Dave Weston 0740578604 V-President Karen Stevens 0740361086 Secretary Lynn Hudson 0740533913 Treasurer Monica Stapleton 0740331330 Librarian Maria Grant 0740370161 Editor Lynn Hudson 0740533913 Editor Assist. Moyneen Charlton 0740337390 Member Concierge Nalda Wilson 0740544825 Popular Vote Steward Brendan Leishman 0740578604 OIC Raffles Karen Stevens 0740361086 *Honorary Life Member - Grace Goode O.A.M.* Honorary Life Member - Kay Edington Life Member - Lynn Hudson Life Member - Robert (Bob) Hudson ******************************************************************** Aims of the Society Promote and Develop Interest in Bromeliads through Friendship To Co-operate with similar Clubs throughout the World ******************************************************************** Membership Fee: $15 Single, $25 Family, Country Member $25. $7.50 junior (if not in family membership) Meetings start at 1.pm sharp first Saturday of the month. Please bring a cup and a chair. Library: All books & magazines borrowed are to be returned in good order to the following meeting. If not on wait list, they may be rebooked. Plant Display/Sales: To participate, a member must be financial and circumstances permitting, have attended at least three meetings in the past six months. Where the society is charged a stall fee - 20% of sales are deducted for club funds. No charge venue & meetings - 10% of sales is deducted. All plants to be clean, free of disease, named and price tagged. Show Plants: Must be the property of and in the custody of the entrant for the past three months. For Society Shows the entrant must be financial and have attended at least three meetings during the past six months. Pens, Plant Tags & Pots: available at each meeting. If reprinting article, wholly or in part, please acknowledge Author & Newsletter. Any article will be Emailed on request to [email protected] 2 Club Actvites & Around te Members SEPTEMBER (from Moyneen) Our meeting was held at Dave & Brendan’s at Kewarra Beach. A great venue, plenty of shade for the meeting and a huge array of plants. Members where overheard commenting on the work that had been done there since our visit last year. The garden is a credit to them, neat and well layed out. Dave gave a good demonstration on various bromeliad seeds & information on the best way to raise those seeds, potting mediums etc. Bob handed out some tillandsia seeds for us to try our luck. I have smeared mine on a coconut husk and am misting it twice a day as instructed, so fingers crossed! * Really well grown plants were entered in both Popular Vote and Mini Shows. The cold winter gave superb vibrant colour to the neoregelias. Rob’s clump of Neo. pauciflora was really dark, almost black. The red colouring in other plants was vivid, they really glowed. * The tillandsias were worth a good look - June’s gardneri had a huge head of flowers, Dave’s ‘Marron’ was nearly on fire, Brendan’s clump of usneoides was huge and Bob’s mallemontii x crocata smelled very sweet. Mini Show – Neoregelia + Mini Neoregelia 1st. Neoregelia ‘De Rolf’ - Darryl Lister 2nd. Neoregelia ‘Enchantment’ - Dave Weston 3rd. Neoregelia ‘Dr Oeser’ variegated - Bernice Mark Mini 1st. Neoregelia pauciflora - Rob Giddins 2nd. Neoregelia ‘Pheasant’ - Brendan Leishman 3rd. Neoregelia mini hybrid - Dave Weston Popular Vote – Novice Bromeliad 1st. Neoregelia ‘Dr Oeser’ variegated - Bernice Mark 2nd. Neoregelia ‘Pemiento’ - John Mark 3rd. Neoregelia ‘Beach Party’ - Bernice Mark Cryptanthus – nil entries Tillandsia 1st. Tillandsia gardneri - June McGlew Popular Vote – Open Bromeliad 1st. {Neoregelia pauciflora - Rob Giddins { Neoregelia ‘De Rolf’ - Darryl Lister 3rd. Neoregelia eleutheropetala x pendula - Lynn Hudson Cryptanthus 1st. Cryptanthus zonatus – Gail Taifalos 2nd. Cryptanthus ‘Elaine’ – Karen Stevens 3rd. Cryptanthus ‘Starlight’- Lynn Hudson Tillandsia 1st. Tillandsia mallemontii x crocata - Bob Hudson 2nd. {Tillandsia flexuosa - Dave Weston {Tillandsia ‘Marron’ - Dave Weston 3 Club Actvites & Around te Members OCTOBER: We were met at Stuart’s by happy yapping puppies and we saw lots of garden planted bromeliads that, at least until then, the puppies had not used for chewing practice! * New Member - welcome to Joan McClintock, we hope you enjoy your time with us. Joan is sharing her year between Kiwiland and Oz - lucky girl, two of the best countries in the world! * We had an excellent array of vrieseas and guzmanias in the mini show - well done each entrant and congratulations to the winners. * The tillandsia section was very interesting with varied shapes and growth habits to show members. Personally Nalda’s ‘Curly Slim‘ won me. It was neat and clearly showed the parents - the curls of streptophylla with the stiffer leaves of intermedia and had a spent mother right angled at the base. Dave’s ‘Marron’ was far more red than in September and Marguerite’s velutina x fasciculata had soft apricot colouring from velutina. Other eye candy was capitata, fasciculata, streptophylla and several forms of flowering ionanthas. * Points are allotted - 3 for 1st. 2 for 2nd. & 1 for 3rd. a total of 6 points. As three cryptanthus each scored six votes each is allotted 2 points. In bromeliad section 1st. gets 3, two tied for 2nd. so they each get 1.5 points and there is no 3rd. * For members to see such a variety is not only eye candy, it is also educational and as we discuss them they learn how to successfully cultivate them. Please bring your plants to meetings, some members would not otherwise see these gems. POPULAR VOTE NOVICE: Bromeliad 1st. Guzmania ‘Optima’ – John Mark 2nd. Neoregelia “Inkwell’ – Bernice Mark 3rd. Vriesea ospinae var. gruberi – Paul Venturi Cryptanthus – Cryptanthus ‘It’ – Frances Boyd Tillandsia - Tillandsia ionantha – Richie Sharpe OPEN: Bromeliad 1st. Vriesea gigantea var siedeliana – Dave Weston 2nd. Vriesea ‘Splenriet’ - Darryl Lister 2nd. Guzmania ‘Herb Klein’s Sheila’- Lynn Hudson Cryptanthus - 3 way tie 1st. Cryptanthus ‘Elaine’ – Karen Stevens 1st. Cryptanthus ‘Black Magic’ – Nalda Wilson 1st. Cryptanthus ‘Imposter Red’ - Lynn Hudson Tillandsia 1st. Tillandsia ionantha ball- Lynn Hudson 2nd.Tillandsia capitata ‘Marron’ – Dave Weston 3rd.Tillandsia ‘Curly Slim’ – Nalda Wilson 3rd. Tillandsia velutina x fasciculata – Marguerite Sexton 4 MINI SHOW – Vriesea 1st. Vriesea ‘Galaxy’ - Bernice Mark 2nd Vriesea ‘Splenriet’ - Darryl Lister Guz.‘Tutti Frutti‘ Guz.‘Optima‘ 3rd.Vriesea ospinae var. gruberi – Paul Venturi Guzmania 1st. Guzmania ‘Tutti-Frutti’ – Darryl Lister 2nd. Guzmania ‘Kapoho Fire’ – Gail Taifalos 3rd. Guzmania ‘Optima’ – John Mark We saw beautiful vrieseas, the largest being Vriesea gigantea var siedeliana grown by Dave Weston with good markings. Next in size was Bernice’s ‘Galaxy’, closely followed by Darry’s ‘Splenriet’ - it is huge with wide leaves. Paul asked how he would remove the offset of ospinae var. gruberi, as it has developed close to the top. General consensus was leave it to grow as a bunch. In guzmanias the smallest was Guzmania lingulata minor, then ‘Kapoho Fire’ and the larger ones ‘Optima’ and ‘Tutti-Frutti’. I find the large ones very strong, they grow and flower easily with little attention. The smaller ones take more care to keep their thinner leaves and inflorescences intact and excel when fed well. ! Both vrieseas and guzmanias have leaves that are without thorns or “entire”, guzmanias usually have fine red stripes at their base. Both genera need to be grown in sheltered positions out of midday sun, they feed through their roots as well as their leaves, therefore need a soft mix. I use scoria for drainage, pine bark and good potting mix in a ratio of ⅓ each. Both genera respond well to feeding, both at the base and with foliar feeding. Foliar feed at 1/4 recommended strength. *************************************************************************** !! ! Bloomin Broms 2012 Members Bloomin Broms Questionaire Survey Results. One or two events per year - 10 votes for 1, 18 votes for 2. Preferred months in highest voted order ... September 13 votes, July 10 votes, May 8 votes, June & August 5 votes. ! Events to be held on 5-6th. May & 1-2nd. September 2012 Programme to stay the same - Saturday Lectures, Plant Sales to Registrants. !!!Sunday Workshops & Sales to Public Next we need Speakers I contacted Harry Luther. Harry answered “probably September” Members keep 1-2 September 2012 booked for this very special event. I hope other societies in Oz will sponsor Harry to address their members. "" We subsidise travel and accommodation for Speakers. "" ""We want speakers from outside our area for these events. Please contact me if you are interested. [email protected] Lynn “Lifted from the Web” !!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5 From the Web in Bromeliad Cultivar Registry - http://registry.bsi.org Notes from Chester Skotak May 2010. !!!!!!!! * Neoregelia 'Tiger' (now ‘Skotak’s Tiger’) was found in Rio de Janeiro state, Estrada Marica, Itaborai , …. The true location was first discovered by Rafael Oliveira de Faria and Chester Skotak in 2004. These plants grow on rocks or as epiphytes. * Neoregelia 'Macho' was grown and collected by Luiz (Luis) Correia de Araujo. He had them growing in giant clay pots around the restaurant he owned at the time. Several people brought back pups in the 90s, including me. The plant was found in Vargem Grande, Rio de Janeiro state. * Neoregelia 'Silver' was being grown at Pedro Nahoum’s nursery. I spoke with him recently about this Neo and he told me he acquired the plant from Roberto Menescal. It was collected in Vargem Grande also. * Neoregelia 'Rainbow' (now ‘Rainbow Carcharodon’)was found near Santa Maria de Madalena around 1995, Rio de Janeiro state. It was growing on rocks at the garbage dump. It should be noted that these species are usually not found in colonies but as individuals or only a few plants and seem to be quite rare where they are found, leaving one to wonder how they even manage to propagate in the wild. // (Ed) I have found these plants to be slow growers so the last statement does not surprise me.