Dr Jack,

Below is my poor excuse for a fosteriana, I have had it for about 3-4 years - it has always been the same colour, I only recently realised it should look different after looking at the FCBS photos.

I haven't fertilised it and it is grown under a verandah without direct sunlight, I have let it get a little dry from time to time as well - what should I do to grow it better?

Thanks,

Rick

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Jack,

While I'm annoying you, I have another Vriesea un-named growing in similar conditions - could it be a Fosteriana or hybrid there of?

Thanks,

Rick

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Rick , that first plant looks like Erotica to me .

Michael,

Thanks for that I may not have grown it as bad as I thought.

Could this be Fosteriana?

I have a well labelled pot and label but I don't know where the plant went :>

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Hi everyone,

Jack, great idea for a thread. That one you've shown is a beauty, with a pattern quite different from others I've seen around and I love those broad rounded leaves. Vr. fosteriana is a real favourite of mine as well and I've been trying to get a few different ones:

Un-named clone with a fair bit of white
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Different un-named clone with even more white
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Un-named clone with a hint of yellow in the background - seems to be developing a bit more yellow as it gets bigger so I'll be interested to see how it turns out
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Vr. fosteriana 'Megan'. Belongs to a mate - I'm first on the list for a pup!
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Pup of Vr. fosteriana 'Big Red' starting to do its thing
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Vr. fosteriana 'Black Beauty'
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Come on you other guys - there must be loads more great fosterianas out there! I'm hanging out to see them. Cheers, Paul

BTW Rick, that last one of yours looks like it has at least a good bit of fosteriana in it, but what about that red plant on the left in the side-on pic of your second green one?

Paul,

Nice looking Vrieseas!

It could be a Fosteriana, I always thought it was Red Chestnut (The parent got smashed by hail a couple of years ago and hasn't quite grown out yet). I have had it for about four years, it has produced only two pups and never flowered.

Jack - sorry for cluttering your post with all my mixed up Vrieseas.

Unknown Parent Vriesea
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Unknown Vriesea Pup

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Okay,thanks for the responses,Rick your first photo is one of a couple of different plants under the name of'Erotica' and your second photo looks like a F2 of 'Maille lei' Your third photo is a 'fosteriana'and yor other photos are 'fosterianas' as well ,give them fertilizer ,and keep roots moist ,vriesaes do not like dry feet,Paul your first piccie is a cross between 2 different clones,originated from Bob Larnach's nursery,your second plant is a 'White Bands' (see fcbs) from my breeding, your 3rd piccie i'd say is also from B.Larnach (we both did a fair bit of line breeding with fost,)Vr,'Megan' is from Dillings and well known,very desirable plant ,'Big Red' is rare but well known and very collectable ,and a big big plant,and 'Black Beauty ' is also from the Dillings ,nice coloured plant as well.good show guys ,i will post a follow up piccie. the next is Vr.fost.seideliana ,narrow leaved form , and then we have Vr.fost.'White Bands' F2

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HereÂs a few from across the ditchÂ

Vr. fosteriana Rubra

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Vr. fosteriana Red Chestnut. Has lost a bit of colour over winter, but does typically colour up with a nice reddish flush.

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Vr. Golden Legend, a kiwi classic, that actually came from Aussie.

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Vr. fosteriana Rubra, un-named yellow clone, a little different to Golden Legend.

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And one arty pic to finish withÂsame plant as in first photo, with the afternoon sun bringing out the classic fosteriana leaf pattern

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Hi Everyone, Here's my fav Fosteriana

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Its about 1 metre wide and showing no sign of flowering.
Cheers Tamera

Hi Guys

Rick, your first plant, can we get a photo of the flower head before naming it as there are a lot of plants that look similar to Erotica but aren't.

Your 2nd plant I have it tagged as Vr. Intermedia x Red Chestnut, I don't think it is Vr. Maille Lei at all.

Paul I have plants the same/similar to yours & I call them all Vr. fosteriana var. seideliana, but then again I'm not a splitter.

Pinkbroms

Lovely plants all around, I'm partial to some of the white striped versions shown.

Jack - thanks for the maintenance tips, I didn't know/think to give them wet feet.

Pinkbroms - I won't go re-labelling until I have a flower/chorum - thanks for the naming advice, it all helps to try and sort my mess out.

Rick

Hi Jack, that 'White Bands F2' you've shown really is a beauty. A mate has one of your 'White Bands' that looks pretty much like that with much broader more solid dark bands than my white one, so that's why I thought mine might be a different clone. Also, mine came to me from a source where the naming seems to be a bit variable at times, so I though it best to be on the safe side and give it a no-id. Great plants though, regardless of the names.

Andrew, just love the Golden Legend and the un-named yellow clone - wish I could find them back here in Oz! And the arty shot is a beauty. Tamera, that is a really nice fosteriana. Having seen that, I think I might have to get a few more of the really dark ones. Great to see the variations coming through.

Pinkbroms, those ones of mine all seem to be quite different clones but you raise an interesting point. With all of the line breeding and crossing between lines within the species over the years producing all of these different clones, do the (supposed?) botanical varieties like 'rubra' and 'seideliana', or 'Red Chestnut' (whatever sort of name that has become) still have any relevance at all, unless someone can trace their plant pup-to-pup back to a correctly identified, wild-collected plant? Why not just Vr. fosteriana 'Name of Clone' (assuming that the clone is worth naming)?

Anyway, sorry to get carried away in your thread Jack. I really get into these plants and love them to bits. Cheers, Paul

great response guys and good show ,Paul i know my own plants and where you got your plant (where naming is variable) he did buy a 'white bands' of me some time ago,when this clone is selfed some 95 % come true to form so its very stable , I could be wrong but when i selfed 'maile lei' thats what a lot of them looked like ,sold some in different places,so some may be renamed ,who knows? .and yes with all the line breeding its a case of 'will the real fost.seideliana 'please stand up ? the plant i imported from Alvim Seidel years ago looks nothing like whats kicking around today ,same for 'Red Chestnut' so only a pup from one of these clones is therefore legit,selfing 'Red Chestnut' will not give you all the same plants. Would love a piece of 'Golden Legend' Tamera's plant is the nicest i have seen of that type (i used to own it but thats a different story) and some of these clones never occurred in the wild ,purely man made. I could spend a life time doing that with Vr.fost. i will have to post some more piccies, here is Vr.fosteriana 'Laura' f2

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and Vr.Fosteriana 'No 23'

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cheers Jack

Thought i would post the plant Jack imported from Alvim Seidel as Vr fosteriana Seideliana

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Some great fosteriana's out there. Thanks for sharing.
Tamera

Ah so you did post it Tamera,and your piccie of the 'broad leaf' came up well, and Rick, keep them moist NOT WET ok ? will post some more piccies,

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Hi Guys

OH Paul, you shouldn't have got me started on this one, this is a pet hate situation.
Jack probably won't like this but here we go,
Vr.white Bands = Vista x Bianca
Vr. Vista is a cv. of fosteriana
Vr. Bianca is a cv. of fosteriana
I told you I was a lumper, so what are you crossing, Vr. fosteriana x fosteriana because neither Vista or Bianca is a hybrid you still have a Vr. fosteriana. If you grow seed from Vr. fosteriana you will get a lot of variation in the amount of white in the seedlings, from very white plants (Bianca) to very dark plants & everything in between but still Vr. fosteriana. Bianca I'm OK with because it is significantly different, but a lot of yours are just Vr. fosteriana var. seideliana to me. So Vr. White Bands x White Bands (F2) is still fosteriana x fosteriana to me.

Most of what we have now are probably horticultural varieties (bred in cultivation) not Botanical varieties (found in the wild).
Rubra isn't a Botanical variety but a descriptive term used by the nursery industry to say something is more red than another.
Seideliana is a Botanical variety: Vr. fosteriana var. seideliana.

Red Chestnut is purely a nursery name now, it's catchy so it sells better than if you called it Fred.

Red Chestnut (BIG pet hate) more than likely NO such thing here in Aus. An article I read years ago says that RC was a single selected plant out of a batch of Vr. fosteriana seedlings because it was much redder than all the other seedlings which made it stand out, therefore the only plants that can be called Vr. Red Chestnut are direct vegetative off-sets from that one single original seedling, no other. If that seedling is raised to flower & its seed is collected its seedlings are still only Vr. fosteriana not RC. So it is extremely unlikely that all the supposed RC's about actually are, especially considering the colour variation in them, as all RC's should be of the same appearance if all are vegetative offsets of the original, pup-to-pup-to-mum as you say. There are "millions" of them out there if you believe that single seedling became that good a mother/reproducer of offsets, I don't think so.

As we read in a previous thread: "How to Name a New Cultivar", give a plant/clone/hybrid a new name providing it is significantly different to all other plant/clone/hybrids, I don't see enough difference in yours Paul to give all 3 a different name, be satisfied with Vr. fosteriana var. seideliana for mine. (I told you I was a lumper) people only split for $$$'s.

Yes Paul I have been saying that for years now, they're all just Vr. fosteriana.

By the way, what is an "Interspecies cross" as in Ron Parkhurst's book of Hawaiian Bromeliads, see if you can explain that one for me.

Pinkbroms

What made you think i would 'nt like that Ross ? I have allways said that no matter how many times you cross one fosteriana with another fosteriana , all you can get is a fosteriana ,you just make some different looking ones ,thats why in my book they are still a species ,and i said in my posting that if you cross 'Red chestnut' with itself than you are not going to get all 'Red chestnuts' furthermore did i claim that any of the 'seideliana's ' are not that ? no, i said they are different to the one that i imported years ago Ex Alvim Seidel, they do come in different leaf width (narrow and very broad) and patterns/colours vary, its a variable species ,there is very little real 'Red chestnut' about ,so i dont follow that it would make me unhappy mate ,your only saying what i have said all along,and i never claimed anything else.however there are now a number of very distinct 'horticultural varieties' that are different enough to warant recognition and therefore are registerd as such ,thats why there are on fcbs. and they all have to be reproduced by offsets ,(some come close from seed )and "red chestnut" was indeed a seedling that was redder than the rest ( very distinct brown/red )now anything thats reddish is called by that name ,however a lot of the 'named ' varieties would still sell well under a different name , ' a rose by any other name is still a rose' People may split for dollars ,but then is'nt that right thru the nursery industry ? after all the are all 'begonias or daffodils' why name any of them ? we are all Homo sapiens why do we get different names ? hmmm. as for interspecies cross ? i have no idea but that's his perrogative i guess , i would not go to war over it .All i know is yes they are all Vr. fosterianas and 'golden legend' or 'Bianca' or my 'white bands' are different enough to stand out from the crowd ,and the relevant authoreties have recognised them as such and that seems good enough for anyone else ,but dont think that your posting is not apriciated ,your reinforcing a lot of my believes ,so thanks Cheers Jack

Hi everyone,

Wouldn't it be easier to just go back to naming all of the resulting fosteriana clones as Vr. fosterianas with the special ones given a varietal name like Paul suggests?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I read somewhere that they did this with brom. names in the past, similar to naming orchids where the whole grex is registered and the special individuals are given a varietal name.

What were the advantages in changing to the system we now have? Seems to me it's more complicated.

I'm probably barking up the wrong tree, but then that's not unusual for me.

All the best, Nev.

Nev , it really does'nt matter, the present system does that now ,out of any given batch you pick out a distinct plant and it gets a variety name.its ok for some one to 'lump' it all in one basket but it does'nt work ,after all ,we dont lump all the Neo hybrids together do we ? after all they are still only Neo's why not go the whole hog ,the are all Bromeliads so lets leave it at that ! the reason they get a variety name is to distinguish them from the run of the mill ,and so you can recognise a particular clone ,this has worked well for a multitude of plants ;Apples, why 'granny smith' or 'red delicious' ? so you know what you are getting ,but lumped together they are all apples and if you cross apples with apples you get more apples, but different varieties that DESERVE A DISTINCT NAME , on fcbs a plant like 'White Bands' is not given species status because it was created by man crossing 2 varieties that did not occur in the wild ,so 'White Bands' did not occur in the wild ,they are horticultural varieties ,but yes still a fosteriana ,and some plants are given a name or number only for the purpose of the breeder so as to keep track of whats what, but sometimes these 'names' are taken by other people to make money ,I did all this breeding years before i ever sold a plant ,and still prefer not to sell ,i get enough money from my business ,I would prefer to go back to registering the whole grex, and naming the distinct ones ,then if someone else repeated the cross its automatically that grex (like they do with orchids) but we have this system and its up to us to use it as well as possible,but if 'pink broms' wants to lump them alltogether? he is entitled to his ideals ,and i hope he sure sticks to that at his nursery cause than i can buy a 'Big Red' for the same price as a 'carinata' after all they are still both only vrieseas ,but i do'nt care one way or the other, the majority of people are happy with the distinctions we make , if they where not why would i get requests from all over the world ( as other breeders do as well) the proof of the pudding is in the eating, Cheers everyone and thanks for the responses so far Jack

Hi Jack,

Thanks for clearing that up, I think?

Anyway I finally got around to taking a couple of pic's of my only 3 ?Fosterianas or ?Red Chestnuts or what ever.

I bought them because I liked them and not because of their names, so what the hell!

#1
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#2
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#3

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....and a couple of plants I grew from fosteriana seed

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All the best, Nev.

The only named cv. I have is Vista:

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I don't know what the heck this one is or where I got it. I just tag it as fosteriana, but that doesn't seem to be enough for some people.

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I grew a bunch from seed and sold most of them off, but kept this one:

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Jack, how can you tell Rick's plant is an F2 of Maile Lei? It's got longitudinal stripes, a la gigantea/Nova, which neither of ML's parents do. Neither do Intermedia or Red Chestnut, for that matter, so that seems equally questionable. Giantea, fenestralis or platynema could give those lineations. My money's on the first one.

BTW, there's only one L in "maile", and just in case you don't know, it's pronounced like Miley Cyrus.

Ross, where are you seeing a reference to "interspecies cross" in Parkhurst's book? I'm not sure what he means by that, but then I have no idea what he means by things like "Foliage Length: 8 months +" or "Hybrid-x Collector-x", either. The inane cartoons of "Billy the Bromeliad" should give you some indication of the level of scholarship here, not to mention upside-down, mislabeled and repeated photos, and some that are listed as "unknown" and uncredited, simply because the author never made any attempt to find out, or even visit the growers himself. If none of those things (or the picture of his daughter) bother you, then why should anything else in the book? ;-)

Had to join in, but Lisa, yes. I bought that book, and was really disappointed with how childish it is, and as a novice, I still spotted alot of mistakes, so I guess you have found more than me. I do like the 'eye candy' though and keep it as a coffee table book.
I love your fosteriana 'Vista' Its superb! Also to everyone else, great pictures and I love the debating thats going on!
I have plain old Fosteriana and one sold as Red chestnut 'light form' which is different enough that I would have thought it a different plant.
Too dark for pics, but maybe tomorrow?
BA

Hi Lisa ,must say your Vr ,fosteriana 'Vista's ' are beautyfull as are the other ones , the only reason i deemed it to be a F2 from 'Maile Lei' is cause a number have turned out like that for me, if you look at the leaves of some forms of Vr,fosteriana (like number 23)and in your No3 photo it shows on that plants leaves (very pretty plant that) they have longtitudal lines that get passed on but still overlaid with cross scribbling ,but i am allways happy to say i could be wrong ,and as 'Mailei lei' does have platynema in its parentage some longtitudal lines must be expected in selfings to show up more.but nothing is cast in concrete,and the idea of my posting was only to see how many differing plants of Vr.fosteriana people had ,i have a number that will never get any other name as well Lisa ,its not that important,i did have 'Vista' but i couldnt grow it,it flowered prematuraly for me and just languished into oblivion ( after effects from importation gassing?) the only fosteriana i have named is 'White Bands' the rest are by other people ,The interspecies cross is mentioned on page 111 for a hieroglyphica X . its a book with pictures i guess is best i can say ,must say Lisa,love youre guessing postings but i am hopeless at it.but its teaching me ! bye for now Jack

Hi Guys

Personally I find it good to have these sorts of discussions as it is clear a lot of people are unsure about what to do when it comes to nameing their new creation or even whether too name it, that decission is up to the hybridiser if they feel there is a significant enough difference from their new baby to any other already about. As Lisa said in a previous thread re: a little white variegate she had produced, as nice as it is there are already enough of those look alikes out there, better to concentrate on the special ones.

Vr. hieroglyphica (interspecies cross) page 111, I brought this up because this is what we are discussing here with Vr. fosteriana, interspecies crossing, I just wondered if anybody else thought that's what it meant, which leads me to a question to Jack where I'm glad he cleared the air on "fosteriana x fosteriana, all you can get is a fosteriana", so how do you get an F2 at species level ???

Foliage length I took to mean how long it took to grow from an average pup to full size ??? (bit odd though)

Lisa, I put that book in the same catagory as Shane Z's, it's a picture book, nothing else, only the spelling should be better in these publications as people do use them as a reference/guide for checking names on plants. Z's a shocker.

I presumed he means the plant is for collectors & probably not a commercial release through chain outlets ???

Hey Jack (did you sniff too much paint thinners today, Ha Ha) I don't lump the whole Brom. family only a Grex & split off only the exceptionally special ones as you did with White Bands & leave the rest as fosteriana, I just don't give a name to all the seedlings as some do. (I just made 36 diff. codes/hybrids from a grex down to 5, that's lumping)

YES I did sell all the Big Red seedlings at the price I sell Vr. carinata $6.00 (not $100.00 Ha Ha) that one's between me & Jack, he'll get it.

Jack I was meaning you didn't like me lumping most fosteriana cv's last time we talked about this subject, as I said too many are split when maybe some shouldn't be.

YES Nev. that's what I say only name the very special/outstanding ones, not every seedling in a grex, be sure it's distinctly different to all others, Nev. I do like your last three.

Lisa, Intermedia x Red Chestnut is what's on the label, not my writting, I agree with you gigantea is in the mix, but whenever I open my little mouth about parentage or hybridizer here, some people get upset, (dare I question these things) so I'm glad you said it, as my plant is a spit for Rick's second posting. How does Vr. gigantea x fosteriana sit with you, it's more to my likeing for this plant of Rick's

Hey Jack, when are you coming up for a visit buddy/mate.

Pinkbroms

Vr. gigantea x fosteriana sits okay with me, but I want to make sure it's understood that none of us is making an ID here, just speculating about genetic make-up. I'll admit that when looking up ML's parentage my eyes slid over the platynema part of of the formula and focused on the hieroglyphica and fosteriana parts, so the lineations may not be as far fetched as I thought, but I'm still favoring another explanation.

Yes, Shane's books are legendary for their garbled names, but at least they're not blatant attempts to promote his or his partner's business. I will say that Ron's photographer, Iolanda Marquardt, did an excellent job. It's too bad he just sent her out to find things to photograph (and not take the names) rather than going himself. Many of those photos are on FCBS now, so there's really no need to buy the book.

On the subject of species x different form of same species, I agree that you don't need to name them all or necessarily call them anything other than that species, unless you get a stand-out. They're still hybrids, though, just as hybrid tomatoes etc. haven't introduced any new species into the mix, but they have refined certain characteristics to the point where they bear little resemblance to anything found in nature. Look at all of the cvs. of Neo. carolinae and its subcategories like Meyendorffii. They're hybrids, but they're still carolinae. I crossed two forms of Bill. vittata (Colores and Domingos Martins) to make YouTube, and I'm not going to just tag it vittata because it's distinct enough from anything else to warrant a cv. name.

I also have sold selfed seedlings of Domingos Martins, and even though that term is usually reserved for hybrids, I label them as F2s because they are not the same cv. as DM, just as you pointed out with Red Chestnut, Ross. They're still vittata, but that alone isn't sufficient to distinguish them from other forms. They're similar enough to DM not to deserve cv. names, but variable enough that if I were to buy one as DM I'd be disappointed. The original is still the best (and the price reflects that). Hence the F2 designation, which to my mind accurately describes their parentage. If anyone can think of a better solution to a situation like that, I'd like to hear it.

Hi Ross, no mate no paint thinners,was just having a good natured shot,i have a warped sense of humour,I can't get away at the moment ,work has picked up drastically ,(bummer) No Lisa i can't think of a better way than the F2 designation either ,but am allways open to suggestions, and yes i also agree that you cross species x different form of same species = that species ,but they are a hybrid in that sense ,and as you say we do it with all types of fruits and veggies to capture certain characteristics, as for some of the other items (M.L) x self ,i will post a photo of one later,but then as Ross said it was not his writing and allthough my plant looks like it ,was i indeed sold the true article ? we go in good faith at time's thats why nothing is cast in concrete .I remember our talk Ross and yes there are to many splits with some things (like all the forms of Bill,nutans) and i think i said 'allthough they are all Vr,fosteriana the only distinction i would like to see was the difference between the 'Red Chustnut' types and the very broadleaved 'seideliana' types as they do show some definite differences in the flower spikes etc, but thats only my personal view , i have no problem with any one questioning anything,we are all here to learn and democracy rules,if you do not ask we get no answers,and i can be as guilty as anyone of 'Lumping ' things together but i knew i would draw a further comment from you ,wich is what i was after,thanks mate i knew you'd come thru , bye everyone i am of to work,good discussions ,cheers Jack

More beautiful plants! Just so much variety. Lisa, those three you've shown are lovely and Jack, what can I say? Laura! No. 23! The other stripey ones! Nev's and Tamera's plants! The ones with all the fine squiggles. The ones with the big patches. The ones with both. I won't run out of daydreaming fodder for years! Cheers, Paul

Hey Jack

Same deal, as you know I know and understand everything we have discussed but if we don't stimulate some discussion others don't learn, I get asked this sort of thing regularly at the nursery, as in the F2 bit, you mentioned it, so I asked so you could explain it for others, I had to for people recently. The interspecies cross bit, I was asked what that meant a few weeks ago, so I know people don't understand some of these things they read & I saw a chance to throw it in the conversation to stimulate more discussion & get other opinions of the meaning of "interspecies cross". You know me Jack I always like to stir the pot. As for "Red Chestnut", if I could have a $ for every time I'm asked which is the real one as mine doesn't look like the one in the book, I'd be happy.

Jack, can you e-mail me a photo of the flower spike of Vr. Frost Bite & you should try this retired bit mate, 3yrs now for me & you've got 10yrs on me, it's time to hang up the brush & stop sniffing that paint thinners Ha Ha.

Pinkbroms

My fosteriana is coming onto flower what should i do jack

Here is a link that might be useful:

Hi ebrom well its hard to say what you should do , if you want seed let it flower, if you want more pups cut the spike of , if you want seed of itself ? well just transfer the pollen on any stigma of any flower thats fully ripe and open ,its an easy plant to pollinate and seeds set readily on itself ,bring the plant indoors if you suspect rain so flowers wont be spoilt , and you can see when they are ready and if a slug is climbing up the stem ,they have a sweet tooth and will destroy they flower to get at the nectar.

That's a lovely big imperalis flower you'll have there R+M

Well Ebrom ,I should have had a look at your piccie first ,before i replied , hate to tell you this But? thats no fosteriana ,thats a whopping big Alc, imperialis you have there ,any way the seed bit remains the same but?you may have trouble bringing it indoors ,best of luck ,i suggest that you change the name on the label though .

Hi all
now before lightning jack gets crowned the official guru of pollinating spineless bromeliads i would like to point out some areas that have not been covered in this forum. I have included some photos to help make my point
cheers
ebrom

Here is a link that might be useful:

Hi Rob ,thats bloody brilliant mate ,think you should have a slightly larger brush to get at the flowers though ,and the way you have the step ladder is not quite safe,better get Melissa to hold it steady as you're getting a bit old and feeble for that, am still laughing ,I will hand the crown to you for that ,better send me some of the seed as well ,cheers Jack

Hi Robert, hi Jack,

Brings to mind a tongue-in-cheek saying in a factory where I did some work years ago: "the bigger the hammer, the better the job" (it went with things like "you need a left-handed screwdriver for that" or "duck down to the store and get me a can of striped paint"). Now we have a bromeliad equivalent! Just love it. Cheers, Paul

Thought I would try and post a pic of some of my favourites.Hope it works.
I dont think it will but here goes.

No Francess it did'nt work, click on the html code at bottom of photo bucket piccies and click copy ,then back to message and click paste ,code for piccie should appear ,click preview and piccie should be there ,if not ? try again ,best of luck You can phone me and I 'll explain . Bye Francess ,

hi all up date on my problem imperialis see photo

Here is a link that might be useful:

Well nice to see Rob,i have mailed you a 6 inch paint brush to pollinate those with or would you prefer a roller coater ? will send a extension pole as well save you climbing the ladder ,did you enjoy todays dust storm ,and windy enough hmmm?

BTW, In "Air Gardens of Brazil", 1945, The Fosters described collecting in 1940 what became V. forsteriana. It was collected near what they said was the Morro de Sal (mountain of salt) in Brazil, probably in Espirito Santo (they are really bad with locations). They found the plant "in the broiling hot sun, in pure sand, but surrounded by a humid valley". I had no luck finding the place with google, but they did say it was up in the mountains where it got quite cool at night. They also said that they found Aechmea racinae in the same area.

update on our imperialis lost the vriesea thread a bit but check out the photo!

Here is a link that might be useful:

That is a spectacular photo Rob, and a great spike , not that i am knocking you but Melissa looks a lot better on that ladder than you did Mate ,no offence ,
jack

Hi ebrom,

What a great pic. of a beautiful inflorescence and the flower in the red shirt isn't half bad either!

Jack, is that the Melissa you named your Vriesea after? If it wasn't it should have been.

Thanks for sharing, all the best, Nev.

Who else would that vriesea be named after Nev ,? after all you said " atract beautyfull plants and beautyfull women ?" Melissa is a lovely lady and her husband Rob is a great bloke and a bit of a mischievious larikin like me ,i met them at Cairns Conference and we all became instant friends ,they grow some of the best flowering Guzzies on the market ,Rob is the grower and Melissa does hybridizing and she has done some lovely work on ? yep foliage vrieseas ,what else ? cheers Jack