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sdandy

Bill stenopetala

sdandy
14 years ago

I had no idea this was a summer bloomer. Just a couple of days ago I noticed that a summer surprise was on its way just about in time for my birthday! I had heard that stenopetala's had unbelievable blooms, but WOW! It gets both morning and evening sun shining through the sepals. I'll try to get a good picture in the morning.

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Just ignore the construction/destruction debris behind!

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Guess I needed to put it somewhere higher than the top of the mound! When the pups come along I'll have to try to mount one.

Comments (14)

  • kerry_t_australia
    14 years ago

    Happy birthday, Andy! What a magnificent billbergia - I just love it - a great birthday present. I've tried mounting some other heliconioide bills, like rosea and brasiliana, but they don't seem to like it too much, and seem to prefer being pot or ground-grown. Maybe you could put its pups in a pot, but still up high?

    K

  • brom_adorer
    14 years ago

    Wow, thats gorgeous. Is that one available in Australia?

  • matt15
    14 years ago

    That flower is stunning and you've captured it so well in your photos.

  • neomea
    14 years ago

    Wow an absolute stunner! Thanks for showing the pics!

  • kerry_t_australia
    14 years ago

    B_A - I don't know if it's available in Oz. I have never seen it in any Aussie collections - I wish! Others in the same sub-family of billbergia which are sometimes available here are alfonsi-joannis (great for mounting), rosea, brasiliana, magnifica, meyeri, and zebrina. They are all worth growing, if you are a bill lover.
    Anyone know of any other heliconioide bills available in Oz?

    K

  • udo69
    14 years ago

    Hi Andy,

    Magnificent Bill!

    I like that colorful bracts. thank for showing ;-b

    Cheers Yong

  • udo69
    14 years ago

    Hi Andy,

    Magnificent Bill!

    I like that colorful bracts. thank for showing ;-b

    Cheers Yong

  • LisaCLV
    14 years ago

    That's a great birthday present and a nice surprise, Andy. Wish I had one! Most of the helicoid Bills are summer blooming. I think many are self-pollinating too, so who knows, you may get some seeds off it.

  • catkim
    14 years ago

    Whoa! What a brilliant birthday present! Happy birthday, Andy. : ) How long have you had this plant? Thanks for the photos, now I know what I have to look forward to -- as you know I have a clump of these monsters in my office.

  • sdandy
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks everyone. This picture still doesn't do it justice. It just glows from the street.
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    And here is a close up of the flowers. There are even purplish hues in the floral parts.
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    Kerry, thanks for your experience and tips. Good to know that a mounting experiment wouldn't be a good idea.

    Lisa, good info on the helicoids blooming in the summer. I had just assumed nearly all bills were winter bloomers. But I guess I did know that hybrids kind of were all over the place which would make sense with both winter and summer bloomers.

    I got it in the spring Kim. I figured you would like to see what you were in for. Ken promised it would be a great bloom. But nothing can compare with seeing it in person.

    I'm surprised how well the bracts have handled the heat and low humidity. It has been in the mid-90s since it started blooming.
    -andy

  • paul_t23
    14 years ago

    Hi Andy, what a spectacular display! Thanks so much for showing it. Can you let us know how long it lasts? (Although even if it just lasts a couple of days like that, it would still be great to have). Cheers, Paul

  • anniesam
    14 years ago

    Wow Andy, That is a beautiful flower. Hopefully one day we may see it in OZ. Well grown and beautifully flowered.

    Kerry, i have just picked up a Bill. Decora is that classified in the same group.
    Cheers Tamera

  • kerry_t_australia
    14 years ago

    Thanks for the extra photos, Andy! I love the way the petals recoil, like a watch spring. You might consider submitting those great photos to the FCBS photo index?

    Tamera - great score with the Bill. decora! Yes, I think it is in that same sub-group.

    K

  • bromadams
    14 years ago

    I just got a B 'Windii' in bloom as a gift. It's decora x nutans and the nutans certainly adds some color to the flowers. I don't have any foliage shots yet since the thing is quite leggy. I just wedged it in some crotons for now. For me the big question is "does it self"?

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