Hi stanofh,
I have this one as well, although I haven't flowered it as yet. This could be due to the fact that I prefer to grow it in the shade which enhances the beautiful deep burgundy colour of the leaves.

I'll try and get a pic, all the best, Nev.

This brom Nev,actually gets darker here in sun.Part sun is best due to protection from one of our rare heatwaves. My plant seems to flower earlier each year as the clump gets larger..maybe I had it four or five years before it even bloomed late one summer,then skipped a year...now is reliable every year multiple blooms.
Oh,and those leaves are like razor wire..will cut with less pressure than any other brom I've kept.Only move with long sleaves and gloves.

Beautiful coloured flower.

Hi Stan,
Unlike your plant which goes darker in the sun, the plant I bought as Ae. Burgundy definitely goes darker in the shade which makes me think that it's incorrectly named.

Besides this, on closer inspection of the spikes on the edge of the leaves, the ones on mine appear much closer together than yours or can this be caused by growing in low light.

I guess the only way I will know is to wait for it to flower, but looking at the size of your plant I don't think it's gonna happen to mine any time soon while it's in a pot, so I guess I'll need to put one in the garden and let it get some size.

The plant below is growing in an old fern house beneath 50% green shade cloth on the southern side of the house suspended beneath the edge of the bench and hangs about 18" from the floor where it's pretty shady.

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The other thing I really like about this plant is the fact that the leaves really shine after a wash and a de-dusting (sorry I forgot to do it before I took these pic's).

What's your opinion Stan, or anyone else for that matter?

All the best, Nev

The form looks too different. If anything,yours would be the one to have longer, narrower, leaves as it's grown in shade.
Also mine will get darker-but never quite that dark.
If yours does have the same bloom ,that would be a surprise.

Hi All.

Nev, I agree with Stan that your aechmea does seem different to what I also grow as Ae. 'Burgundy'. Your shade-grown beauty has wider leaves, and a more compact form. If Ae. 'Burgundy' was grown in shade, as Stan said, the leaves should be narrower and longer than yours.
I'm suspecting yours might be a shade-grown Ae. 'Belizia'. Does it have slight dimples in the leaves? A side-on view could help with the I.D., but of course, the flowering should reveal all.

Here are some photos of a few of my Ae. 'Burgundy' growing under different conditions. The more light it gets, the more red-burgundy the leaves become. Like Stan, I also found mine a shy flowerer for several years, but once settled and multiplying, is now more regular in its flowering. Although I really like the pretty inflorescence, the main attraction of this brom, for me, is the leaf colour in the landscape - and hardiness/ease to grow.

Ae. 'Burgundy' growing in dappled shade (epiphytically).
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In moderate, slightly brighter light (grown in ground).
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Grown in very bright light (full morning sun, dappled in arvo - and obviously epiphytically-grown).
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As Stan said, it's an oldie but a goodie!

Cheers,
Kerry

Hi guys, here's my Aechmea Burgundy grown under 70% beige shadecloth in a sunny section of my brom house. I find it also goes dark and towards green if grown in too much shade.

Nev, could your brom possibly be Aechmea 'Mirlo' ? it looks very similar to one I have. My pics below don't do it justice. The pic of the top of it shows the more true colour but with the naked eye it's much much darker (more like yours Nev)
Ae. Mirlo

cheers Rossana

LOL I should have washed and dusted mine too LOL!

Hi Rosanna,
I do have a plant of Ae. Mirlo growing with the plant mentioned above but it never gets as dark as the one in question and each pup flowers on maturity without fail, which is not the case for the one in question which has pupped a few times but still no flowers. I think I'll just let one plant clump up and see what happens.

Kerry, sorry I haven't had a chance to take a side on pic yet but I will get it done in the near future and post the pic. on this thread.

All the best, Nev.

Hi all,
Kerry, here's the side view of my plant you said may help with the ID.

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Also, a close up-of the leaves. Are these the dimples you spoke about?

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I also have another plant which I got from the same source. It has a 'wishy washy' type variegation and hasn't flowered either.

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Does this make the ID of the first plant any easier and any ideas on the second plant?

All the best, Nev.

Hey Nev,

I reckon Rosanna might have nailed it with her suggestion of Ae. 'Mirlo', a Hummel hybrid of questionable parentage. I wish Hummel had not been so secretive with his hybrid creations! Ae. 'Belizia' has very similar parentage - with the common denominator being Ae. orlandiana. I've noticed many hybrids with orlandiana as a parent have that slight dimpling of the leaves. In my experience, both 'Belizia' and the supposed 'Mirlo' are very shy to flower. I have only flowered a 'Belizia' once, and nary a flower yet from 'Mirlo', after several years.
I've been a bit confused about 'Mirlo' for a while now. I'm not sure if the named hybrid is supposed to be variegated, as I've seen non and variegated versions with the same name. I suspect it is an unstable variegate...

NEWSBREAK! - I just looked up 'Mirlo' on the cultivar database, and comments suggest that the variegated form could be Ae. 'Purple Heart' - a name I have never seen around the Aussie brom traps, nor heard of before!
Nev, your second plant photographed above, looks just like my supposed Ae. 'Mirlo'('Purple Heart'?), which unlike Rosanna's, is weakly-variegated. I'd be interested to see a photo of your other supposed Ae.'Mirlo' - if it differs from your other two.

I find 'Belizia' an overall better, stronger plant - and not quite as upright in form as 'Mirlo'/'Purple Heart'. Both have very glossy leaves, but 'Belizia' has a more even tone, is richer in colour, and a more open form. Variable cultivation conditions seem to determine the darkness of leaves.

For photos of my flowering 'Belizia', and more discussion on orlandiana influence as a parent, see this great brag-time thread from GW last year.

And *ATTENTION PAUL!* - see another photo of Vr. 'Golden Legend' by Devo Andrew, on that same thread.

Cheers,
Kerry

Here is a link that might be useful: Last year's BRAG TIME

Hi Guys, interesting thread. Just one problem I can see .... naaaa, I can fix that - just have to get myself one! A 'Belizia' should do it.

Hi Kerry, thanks for the "attention". That plant is just Yummoh and definitely a different beast. Keep up the great work! Thanks again.

Cheers, Paul

Hi everyone,
In answer to Kerry's request, I went down the yard and fished out a plant which I know for sure is Mirlo as it flowers regularly from each mature pup and it was possitively identified by a couple of judges at one of our Brom. Society meetings when it was in flower.

Looking at the Mirlo photographed beside my unknown plant in the same location, I'm beginning to think the unknown plant may also be a Mirlo as it has similar spines and although not as obvious, dimples in the leaves.

The leaf colour is lighter but this could be due to the fact they are growing in very different light intensities.

The top plant in the pic. below is the one I originally posted which I had purchased as Ae. Burgundy.

The lower and slightly larger plant is Ae. Mirlo which has been growing in brighter light beneath 50% shade cloth at the other end of the yard.

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The plant shown below is Mirlo (sorry about the blured pic) ..........

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....... and this is the unknown plant.

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I hope this helps to solve the ID, all the best, Nev.

Nev,
Thanks for taking and showing us those comparative photos. The two above look like the same plant to my naked blurry eyes.
I'd like to know the conditions under which you grow the identified Mirlo to achieve regular flowering. Any tips?

Cheers,
Kerry

Hi Kerry,
Thanks for the response - The Mirlo plants that flower reliably, hang about 4-5 feet from the ground in an area on the outside of the western wall of my shade house. I usually only keep one or two pups to grow on as the extras are easy to swap as people here seem to like the leaf colour just as much as the flowers.

The area is formed by what could probably best be described as an annexe roof of 50% shade cloth with the southern side protected by a paling fence while the west and north sides are open to the elements.

It is growing with a few other dark leaved Aechmeas and other Neos and bits and pieces and rarely gets any feeding. It's watered once a week in summer and every two-three weeks in winter.

In the first pic. the Mirlo is the one hanging beside the old Billbergia in the corner.

The second pic. shows it more in perspective with the shadehouse wall on the left and the southern fence at the rear. The picture was taken at 1130 just as it was starting to get some good overhead light. Prior to then it was in the shade. It now gets that light until about 1500 during this time of the year.

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I think I'll probably move the other plant down and hang the two together and see if that will encourage a flower as well and then I'll know for certain if it's a Mirlo.

Thanks for the input, all the best, Nev.