Hi jaga, the second plant is Neoregelia wilsoniana

Cheers Richard

Hi John and Agatha,

I agree with Richard that the second brom looks like Neoregelia wilsoniana.

The first brom looks like Aechmea triangularis, a species, grown hard and well. It tends to be a shy flowerer, but finally one of mine is now in flower. I really love its prominent spines and sculpted form.

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Coincidentally, I took those flowering photos just two days ago.

Cheers,
Kerry

Wow that was a quick ! Thanks Richard & Kerry, our friend will be pleased to have her plants id. The first plant is grown in rocks & in full sun so perhaps that's why its more compact & more colured than yours Kerry? A flower would confirm it but can definitely see the resemblance.

Jaga, I do like the form and colour of that triangularis! I also grew my wilsoniana quite hard but a while back I moved it to a spot where it gets a bit more water and shade and it is doing much better!

Kerry, those triagularis pictures of you are stunning!

Japie

J+A - yes, your fellow brom collector's Ae. triangularis looks fantastic grown that way. I read somewhere that it gets its name from the dark red triangles which form at the sharply-recurved leaf tips. I thought mine were grown hard, especially on sunny tree branches, but your friend's one is the best I've seen. Compare the specimens in your photos and mine to the ones on fcbs photo index - obviously those have been grown much "softer".
My ones grown epiphytically are a great haven for ants nests.

and thanks, Japie :) Do you have a photo or two of your Neo. wilsoniana, now under less-harsh growing conditions, to show us for comparison?

K

Indeed that's A. triangularis. Those spines are not easily forgotten!

Hi jaga - I don't know what the second one is but I would recognise those vicious spines of Ae. Triangularis anywhere having been wounded by them many times. I grow mine in an open exposed location also and it's similar to but not as well coloured as the one in the pic. The colour of my plant is about half way between the one pictured and Kerry's.

All the best, Nev.

Wow, that first one is beautiful! I love the spines. I'll have to see if I can find that around here.