VOLUME XXXIX - No. 4 - JULY/AUGUST 2005

Bromeliaceae

2Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

OFFICERSPRESIDENTVICE PRESIDENTPAST PRESIDENTSECRETARYTREASURER

COMMITTEE

AUDITORCOMBINED SHOW COMMITTEE

CONVENTION COMMITTEE

BROMELIACEAE EDITORSALES AREA STEWARDFIELD DAY CO-ORDINATORLIBRARIANSHOW ORGANISERSSUPPER STEWARDSPLANT SALES

COMPETITION STEWARDSHOSTSHALL STEWARDBSQ WEBMASTERSOCIETY PHOTOGRAPHERSLIFE MEMBERS

Bob Reilly (07) 3870 8029VacantWayne Lyons (07) 3202 8454Karen Murday (07) 3359 2373Glenn Bernoth (074) 6613 634David Brown, Beryl and Jim BatchelorJoe Green, Len and OliveTrevor,Barry Kable,Doug Upton, Peter ParozAnna Harris Accounting Services Bob Cross, M O’Dea N. Ryan, Bob ReillyGreg Cuffe (Convenor)Bob Cross(Display), Wayne Lyons, Olive TrevorRoss StenhouseNorma Poole & Phyllis JamesNancy KickbuschEvelyn ReesBob CrossNev Ryan & Barry GennNancy Kickbusch (Convenor)N. Poole (Steward)Arnold James, Ruth HigginsJoy Upton, David BrownJoy Upton, David BrownKeith Dawson (07) 3285 6710Doug Upton, Viv DuncanGrace Goode OAM, Bert WilsonPeter Paroz, Patricia O’DeaMichael O’Dea

The Bromeliad Society of Queensland Inc.

P. O. Box 565, Fortitude ValleyQueensland, Australia 4006,Home Page www.bsq.org.au

Front Cover: Vriesea carinata Photo by Ross StenhouseRear Cover : Tillandsia punctulata Photo by Ross Stenhouse

3Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

The Bromeliad Society of Queensland Inc. gives permission to all Bromeliad Societies to reprintarticles in their journals provided proper acknowledgement is given to the original author and the Brome-liaceae, and no contrary direction is published in Bromeliaceae. This permission does not apply to anyother person or organisation without the prior permission of the author.

Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual contributor and may not neces-sarily reflect the opinions of the Bromeliad Society of Queensland or of the Editor

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the information in their articles.

Contents

SOCIETY DIARY ............................................................................................ 4MAY 2005 FIELD DAY REPORT ................................................................................................ 5SOCIETY PROJECTS WANTED! ............................................................................................... 6NOTIFICATION OF ELECTION RESULTS .............................................................................. 6PHOTOGRAPHERS CODE ......................................................................................................... 6THE EDITOR’S DESK ................................................................................................................. 7MEMBER’S CODE OF CONDUCT ............................................................................................ 8BOOKS FOR SALE ..................................................................................................................... 9NEOREGELIA ‘BLUSHING BRIDE’ ........................................................................................ 11AN INTERESTING STORY ...................................................................................................... 11AECHMEA ‘AZTEC GOLD’ ...................................................................................................... 13WHAT IS THIS WITCHCRAFT? .............................................................................................. 14VARIEGATION IN BROMELIADS .......................................................................................... 17THE CASE OF THE FADING VARIEGATION ........................................................................ 20XAECHOPSIS ‘ANGELINE’ ..................................................................................................... 20THE ULTIMATE METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MOSQUITOES IN BROMELIADS. ..... 21GETTING RID OF MOSQUITOES .......................................................................................... 24FIRE ANT UPDATE ................................................................................................................... 252005 A-GARDEN-A-FAIR ......................................................................................................... 27RAPID VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION OF ALCANTAREAS ............................................... 28PLANTING OUT ........................................................................................................................ 30LIBRARY BOOK REVIEWS: PART 2 ...................................................................................... 302005 TILLANDSIA WORKSHOP ............................................................................................. 32WET WEATHER PROBLEMS WITH POTTED TILLANDSIAS ............................................ 34PROPAGATION OF CAULESCENT* TILLANDSIAS ........................................................... 34EMAILS TO THE EDITOR ........................................................................................................ 36PERSPECTIVE ON THE SOCIETY FROM A NEW MEMBER .............................................. 37CALENDAR OF EVENTS: JULY – SEPTEMBER 2005 .......................................................... 39

Please make the following new members feel welcometo the society.

Max Marskell, Frank and Hazel Coleman, Andrew Jackson, Bryan Hall, CoralGraham, Geoff Jon, Barry and Joan Lee, Ema Basic, Micheal De Kort, Paul McGuren

4Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

Society DiaryNEWS REPORTS EVENTS

GENERAL MEETINGS are held on the third Thursday of each month exceptfor December, at the Uniting Hall, 52 Merthyr Road, NewFarm, Brisbane, commenc-ing 8 pm.. Classes for beginners commence at 7.30 pm.

FIELD DAYS are held regularly in the gardens of members as advised.MEMBERSHIP FEES: Family $20, Single $15 pa

The BSQ web page can be accessed at w.w.w.bsq.org.au

Competition Results:May MeetingAdvancedFirst Bob Paulsen Neo. Pendula brevifolia x eleutheropetalaSecond Yves Daniel Neo ‘Blazer’IntermediateFirst P. Crawford Neo. ‘Moneau Beauty’NoviceFirst Evelyn Rees Tillasndsia strictaSecond Lyn Grubb Neo ‘Trangerine’

JuneMeetingAdvancedFirst J. Higgins Neo. HybridSecond J. Higgins Neo ‘Alley Cat’IntermediateFirst G. & N. Aizlewood Crytanthus fosteriannus cv EllianeSecond G. & N. Aizlewood Tillandsia bullbosa B. & A. Kable Neo. ‘Johannus de Rolf’NoviceFirst L. Grubb Neo. ‘Johannus de Rolf’Second L. Grubb Neo. ‘Royal Cordovan’

Raffle Results - Meeting 19th May 2005Lucky Door - Sean Dunstan1st Draw - Michael Copestake2nd Draw - Lori Dunstan3rd Draw - Beryl Batchelor4th Draw - Narelle Aizlewood

Raffle Results - Meeting 16th June 2005Lucky Door - Lockeil Seare1st Draw - Valerie Portley2nd Draw - David Rees3rd Draw - Len Trevor4th Draw - Nancy Kickbusch

5Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

The Society’s first field day for 2005was held at Brom-Haven. This is NancyKickbusch’s residence at The Gap. Around40 people attended the field day.

Nancy appears to have “packed” moreplants into her garden since the Society’slast field day there in 2001. This is quite anachievement, as a lot of plants were therethen!

Highlights of Nancy’s collection in-cluded:

• Most of the bromeliads were grownin pots, rather than in the ground. Thismakes it easier to shift them around in re-sponse to changing light patterns during theyear.

• A feature was the many neoregeliasgrown in hanging pots. These included:bahiana,variegated ‘Fireball’, lilliputiana,‘Little Faith’, penduliflora v. brevifolia,‘Red Beauty’, ‘Strawberry Cream’, and‘Strawberry Cup’.

• Some of Nancy’s grey-leafedtillandsias were in flower. Of particular in-terest, was a very nice multi-branched formof T. compressa.

• A beautiful plant of Aechmeaorlandiana ‘Ensign’ showed the “trade-mark” pink-red flushing throughout its leaf,which contrasted sharply with the leaves’white edgings.

• Nancy has made effective use of theshade produced by trees and house walls.In pockets of deeper shade, there are shade-loving bromeliads such as nidulariums,while in sunnier spots there are aechmeasand neoregelias, which thrive in these con-

ditions.• About 20 plants of Aechmea

nudicaulis ‘rubra’ were growing all over astump in nearly full sun. They were clearlyenjoying the conditions and made a lovelydisplay.

• Nancy has made effective use of awire mesh fence to provide extra growingspace by hanging pots from it. Another in-novation was using a length of chain tobridge the gap between two steel pickets inher garden. The chain was festooned withhanging pots of bromeliads.

I gave a talk on growing grey-leafedtillandsias in pots, while John Higgins dis-cussed miniature neoregelias. Some high-lights from John’s talk were:

• Many miniature neoregelias looktheir best when grown in clumps. Some ofJohn’s plants were grown as clumps in 300mm plus “squat” plastic pots, (which areoften sold by orchid nurseries), and theylooked magnificent.

• John stressed that it was importantnot to over-fertilise these plants, as they willlose their distinctive shape and often theircolour as well.

• A interesting part of John’s talk wasthe linkages he made between the charac-teristics of various species which have beenused in hybridising and the traits displayedby the hybrids made from them

• Miniature neoregelias can be usedas an effective ground cover for small ar-eas covered in pine bark or similar mate-rial.

• These plants also look effectivewhen grown on trees. However, it is im-portant they are tied on securely through,for example, the use of plastic cable ties.

• A feature of many miniature ne-oregelias is the attractive “barring” and

MAY 2005 FIELD DAYREPORT(by Bob Reilly)

Continued on page 6

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Photographers CodeRS : Ross StenhouseDU : Doug UptonRSm: Rob SmytheBB : Beryl BatchelorDB: Derek ButcherCC: Carmel Cullen

At the May general meeting, it was de-cided to reduce the Society’s financial re-serves to $40,000/$60,000. About $40,000is available to spend on a range of projects,over the next two years, consistent with theSociety’s objects (aims).

The Society’s aims are to:• Promote good fellowship among all

people interested in bromeliad horticultureand in horticulture generally;

• Further the knowledge and ad-vancement of all that pertains to bromeli-ads, including their natural history, cultiva-tion and hybridisation; and

• Disseminate knowledge of brome-liads and carry out educational and researchactivities into all aspects of (the plant fam-ily) Bromeliaceae.

Please note the Society’s constitutionprecludes us from distributing money tomembers.

You are invited to send an outline ofpossible projects to the Secretary by 30August 2005.

For each project, please supply the fol-lowing information, in writing:

• What it will achieve.• How it helps the Society to meet its

aims.• What is involved, where the project

will take place, and over what period oftime.

• How much it will cost.• Who will undertake the project on

the Society’s behalf.Peter Paroz (phone 07 3265 1547) and

Olive Trevor (phone 07 3351 1203) will help

you with any queries you may have.The Management Committee will pre-

pare a list of recommended projects forconsideration at the November 2005 gen-eral meeting.

SOCIETY PROJECTSWANTED!

(compiled by Bob Reilly)

markings on the leaves’ lower surfaces. Ifyou are placing such plants in a tree, it isimportant they are established at “eye-level” or higher, so their markings can beeasily seen.

Thanks Nancy for putting on the fieldday. I know it is a lot of work. Thanks arealso due to those members who helped outin a variety of ways on the day.

Continued from page 5

NOTIFICATION OFELECTION RESULTSAt the March 2005 General Meeting of

the Society, it was resolved that nomina-tions for the vacant office of Presidentwould close with the Secretary at 5pm on3 June 2005.

Only one nomination, namely, for BobReilly, was received. The nomination com-plied with the requirements of the Society’srules (constitution).

Therefore, in accordance with the So-ciety’s rules, I declare Bob Reilly electedto the position of President.

Karen MurdaySecretaryBromeliad Society of Queensland (Inc)

7Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

The Editor’s Desk

BROMELIACEAEEditor Ross StenhousePhotography Doug UptonMail Out R & B PughContributors

Bob ReillyKaren MurdayPat CouttsCarmel CullenJohn CatlanLyn HudsonLuiz Felipe Nevares de CarvalhoDerek ButcherRob SmytheGerry StansfieldPeter ParozGreg StewartDavid BrownDon WoodsMichael Copestake

Its time to write yet another editorial,this job sure seems to come around quickly,time flies when you are having fun as thesaying goes. It’s quite a challenge gettingall the information and articles together andmatching them up with suitable photo-graphs.

We have been working hard to improvethe quality - one edition to the next, thisbeing my third edition. This is a publica-tion entirely written and photographed byunpaid amateurs. As editor, I think we aredoing a good job, certainly the feedbackfrom members supports that statement. Thesociety is looking at ways to reduce its bankbalance, one way I see is by increasing thecontent of this publication.

Members would appear to support theintroduction of more pages of colour pho-tographs and in this edition we have donejust that. I think we could go a bit furtherand add maybe another 4 pages of colour.I would like to thank the contributors whomake it possible to publish this journal. TheSept./Oct. issue is well underway and in itwe have extensive coverage of the com-bined show (including 4 pages of colourphotographs). Peter Paroz will be writingan article on how to grow bromeliads fromseed, I am particularly looking forward to

Bromeliaceae Copy DeadlinesSeptember/October......................................August 5th, 2005November/December..................................October 5th, 2005Jan/Feb...................................................December 5th, 2005

Please forward all copy and photographs to:The Editor, 15 Timbarra Crescent, Jindalee, Qld 4075

Phone: 07 3376 5558 Email: rossjanstenhouse@hotmail.comElectronic copy RTF or MSWord 7.0 or earlier - Times New Roman

reading that article. Being a beginner in theworld of broms and a very inexperiencedgardener, I am sure I will learn a lot fromPeter’s article and am sure that of the 300or so members of BSQ there are bound tobe a lot of others that can be induced togrow Broms from seed. Doing that opensup the world of hybridising the plants.

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Member’s Code of Conduct

This statement was approved at the May 2005 general meeting of the Bromeliad So-ciety of Queensland (Inc.).

1. Joining the SocietyAny person may apply to join the Society. If the application is accepted, the person

becomes a member.A person who is accepted for membership after 1 November in any year will not

need to pay the membership subscription for the following year.2. Membership subscriptionsMembership subscriptions are payable on 31 December for the following year. Mem-

bers who do not have any outstanding dues are regarded as “financial members”. Wherea member resigns before 28 February of a given year, then the entire membership sub-scription for that year will be refunded.

3. Members’ entitlementsMembers are entitled to participate in most of the Society’s activities, including at-

tending meetings, field days, shows, and purchasing plants and books. They may alsostand for election to any of the Society’s management positions.

Financial members have additional privileges. They include:• the right to vote at general meetings;• receiving Bromeliaceae, the Society’s journal;• selling bromeliads at Society functions;• for those who can attend general meetings; borrowing books and related materi-

als from the Society’s library.Some of these privileges are subject to conditions and limitations. These can be

obtained from the Secretary.4. Members’ obligationsMembers’ obligations include:• behave in a civil and courteous manner to other Society members;• comply with any conditions which may apply to participation in particular Soci-

ety activities;• pay their membership subscription by the due date, if they wish to enjoy financial

membership privileges;• not distribute letters, posters and other printed material at general meetings with-

out the prior permission of either the meeting, the Management Committee, or the Presi-dent and Secretary.

Members who do not meet these standards of behaviour could face disciplinary ac-tion such as a reprimand from the Management Committee or general meeting or, inserious cases, termination of membership (see section 7).

5. Society’s privacy policyUnder the Society’s rules (constitution), members may inspect a register containing

9Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

details of all members, upon request to the Secretary.Printed copies of the register are given to Management Committee members and

other persons who need this information to undertake activities on behalf of the Society.Copies of the register will not be supplied to other organisations or people, unless

there is a legal requirement to do so, or the Management Committee considers it is rea-sonable to provide it, given the proposed use.

6. Dispute resolutionIf a member is unhappy with a decision of the Management Committee, or a person

managing an activity on behalf of the Society, then the person should:(a) first, raise the matter with the person who made the decision;(b) if the first step is unsuccessful, or the decision has been made by the committee,

raise it with the Secretary, preferably in writing, for consideration by the ManagementCommittee.

(c) if the matter is still unresolved, advise the Secretary in writing, and the Presidentwill place the matter on the next general meeting’s agenda. The decision of the generalmeeting is final.

Where members have not followed this process, then the matter will not be consid-ered at a general meeting, except at the President’s (or the person acting as meetingchairperson) discretion.

7. Membership terminationA member may resign at any time.Termination of a person’s membership may also occur for a variety of reasons. These

are covered in the Society’s constitution.

A Bromeliad Glossary (1998 edition) by the Bromeliad Society International (BSI) $13A Guide to Beautiful Neoregelias by Shane Zaghini $20Bromeliads: A Cultural Manual by BSI $5Bromeliads: Next Generation by Shane Zaghini $33Bromeliads for the Contemporary Garden by Andrew Steens $36Growing Bromeliads by the Bromeliad Society of Australia $22Judges Handbook by BSI $34Tillandsia Handbook by Hideo Shimizu & Hirouli Takizawa $66Back copies of Bromeliaceae (2005 editions) $4Label-marking pencils $3

Post and package extra. Unfortunately, we cannot supply overseas orders. Pleasetelephone the Librarian, Mrs Evelyn Rees (07 3355 0432), to order books.

BOOKS FOR SALE

10Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

Neoregelia ‘Blushing Bride’ RSm

Aechmea mexicana alba marginata CC

11Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

With reference to ‘Oldies but Goldies’in Bromeliaceae, September-October 2004,I wish to add a plant which I imported someyears ago. Other growers had acquired oneover the years so there must be a numberof plants still about.

It was brought to my attention at a Bro-meliad nursery in Brisbane that BlushingBride does not blush in the south and wasshown a plain green plant with a strawberrycentre.

The offsets of this plant have very dis-tinctive maroon glips on the foliage evenbefore colouration and the plant measures23 cm wide when mature.

I don’t remember ever having a plantflower although it is reasonably generouswith offsets.

Information on parentage is somewhatsketchy, although it is described as being acultivar of Neoregelia macrosepala hybrid.

It is recorded that this Neoregelia waspresented by Mulford Foster, one of thegreats in the introduction of Bromeliadsinto cultivation, to Bert Foster as a wed-ding present. Hence the name, no doubt.

Thanks to Rob Smythe for his assist-ance in research and the photograph of thisplant

Neoregelia ‘Blushing Bride’by Pat Coutts

book called “Tropica” by A. Graf. The plantin the picture was growing as an epiphytealong the edge of a highway in Brazil andbeing completely exposed to the sun wasglowing rich ruby red.

I eagerly agreed to the swap eventhough the seedling was green at that stage.Sadly I lost A. triangularis shortly afterwhen my dogs destroyed the mother plant,unable to ever find one again., never mindI had my exciting new acquisition.

To cut a long story short, the A mexi-cana took many years to reach maturity andno matter how much sun it grew in, it re-mains grass green. Trying to locate the redform has proved fruitless.

Then recently I saw something thatwould make me forget the red one. I was atOlive Branch and there in all its splendourwas a mature plant of A.mexicana albomarginata; a spectacular sight (see photo-graph). I was so glad I happened to have acamera with me. Although not yet availableI will wait patiently (?!!) for a specimen ofthis gorgeous plant.

An Interesting StoryAuthor: Carmel Cullen

Years ago a man offered to swap a smallAechmea mexicana, which he had grownfrom seed, for an unusual silver form ofAechmea triangularis I had growing in myfront yard. In those days the only Ae.. mexi-cana I had ever seen was a picture in a

Society Library Wants to Buy

• There is an increasing demand to bor-row books from the Society Library.• Unfortunately, we cannot purchasemore copies of “out of print” books.• We would particularly like to purchasea copy, in good condition, of the Eng-lish edition of Blooming Bromeliads byUlrich and Ursula Banensch.• If you are interested in selling a copy,please contact Bob Reilly

(phone 07 3870 8029) oremail bob.reilly@nrm.qld.gov.au.

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Aechmea ‘Aztec Gold’ RS

Aechmea ‘Aztec Gold’ RSAechmea recurvata var. benrathii RS

13Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

Editorial Comment: (Bob Reilly) Re-printed from Bromeliaceae, 1992, volumeXXV (3), pp6-8. Sometimes it is a real strug-gle to keep a variegated plant which hasarisen as a sport or mutation from a non-variegated one. In this article, John Catlandescribes how he dealt with this situation.

Aechmea ‘Aztec Gold’ is really thestory of trying to produce a desirable plant,by swinging the odds in the grower’s fa-vour.

One day in 1991 a friend of mine, IanSellars, found a plant in a group of myAechmea recurvata plants, with a goodclear yellow stripe on one of its leaves. Thevariegated leaf appeared on a fully matureplant, that had failed to flower that year.

It was the unanimous lament that manyplants of friends as well as our own hadshown partial variegation, that had not beenpassed on to the pups. The low averageswere definitely against success, but withthis plant we hoped it was possible, as thevariegated leaf was low down in the butt ofthe plant where the pups originate.

After researching the material available,looking for a magic wand, I found that therewere none, or more precisely, none that Icould find. Now was the time to put intoaction three lessons learnt while observingour plants.

One day while sitting on an old stump,with a shovel in one hand and a cup of cof-fee in the other, trying to get inspiration, Inoted just how hardy bromeliads reallywere. There were dozens of discardedplants lying on their sides with their pupshappily sitting up ready to grow into newclumps.

LESSON 1. If a plant falls over and apup forms, nine times out of ten the pupwill start on the top side of the plant.

Like most bromeliad growers, beingshort of room, I would take pups off andsit them in a pot in a very open mix to keepthem upright till I had time to tend to them.If you are too long, you would end up witha solid ball of roots. This resulted in tear-ing them apart and damaging the roots.Gradually in dawned on me that the rootsystem initiated from one side of the pup.The opposite side from the heel piece tornfrom the mother plant. The rule becameface the wound side to the centre of the pot.The roots all grow to the outside of the potand are easier to separate. This explainedto me why in a clump of bromeliads thepups are generally grown on the motherplant furtherest from the grandmother. Ireasoned that the roots on that side ab-sorbed the nourishment and gave slightlymore food to that side of the plant. I foliarfed the plants on one side only and this re-sulted in a very high percentage of pupsfrom that side.

LESSON 2. If you liquid feed a plant,by foliar feeding it on one side, you increaseyour chances of getting a pup from thatside.

I remembered one year, there being notenough bench space for all the plants, sosome were placed under a bench. Beingwinter, the sun was low in the sky and lightpenetrated very well in under the bench asit faced north. Spring arrived and busy-busy - busy then well into summer, lo andbehold there were the plants with all theirpups, like soldiers - facing the path. At thetime I thought it was rather convenient forthe removal of the pups.

LESSON 3. If the plant is denied light

AECHMEA ‘AZTEC GOLD’(by John Catlan)

14Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

on one side, it will throw its pups on theside facing the light source.

The time had come to bite the bullet.We lay the plant at an angle of 45 degreesfacing away from the sun with our yellowstripe being on top, facing to the sun. Afew weeks later at an angle of 90 degrees tothe yellow stripe appeared a green pup.This was removed with a sharpened screw-driver. Our theory was that the pup hadstarted its growth cycle prior to our med-dling with nature. Be patient and wait. Suc-cess immediately followed by disaster. Thepup was there but it was pure yellow. Weonly had the one variegated leaf and the pupwas right under it. So all we could do wasleave it as an interesting experiment.

A few months later and the pup hadgrown and we looked and wondered, forthere on the upper side of the leaves was asolid green stripe. A phenomena of thisplant is all pups appear as plain yellow, butas the leaves develop the green stripe im-proves and it turns into a sturdy vigorousgrower for a variegate.

To promote the growth of ‘Aztec Gold’we left it attached to its parent, this pro-moted vigorous growth which resulted in amature plant which produced 10 pups over3 years. Any pups appearing on the greenside were cut off so the ‘Aztec Gold’ re-ceived all the energy.

Over the years ‘Aztec Gold’ has neverproduced a pup for me that has reverted togreen. In the first couple of years we onlyhad to destroy about 6 plants that did notgrow strong enough for me.

Our climate is described as sub-tropi-cal but ‘Aztec Gold’ has not been adverselyaffected by our heat. In 1985 our winterproduced 16 frosts in a row and that yearthe flowering was the most spectacular we

have ever witnessed.‘Aztec Gold’ was grown in 7" hanging

baskets potted in a very open mix and hung18 cm from the roof. They had plenty oflight and 9 month Osmocote as a fertilizer.They were watered regularly, but they werevery well drained and had plenty of airmovement. They grow in full sun on a wirebench 1 ft. from the ground now and theyare doing fine.

Some people who have had troublegrowing ‘Aztec Gold’ are probably givingtoo much water and not enough light andair movement to keep up with the water-ing.

Aechmea orlandiana ‘Ensign’. Afterour success with ‘Aztec Gold’ I acquired aplant of Aechmea orlandiana Ensign. Thisplant had a good variegation on one side.The other side was only slightly variegated.We faced the slight variegated side againsta fibro wall -the strong variegation facingthe light source. Pups came out all overthe place, but we did eventually get a good‘Ensign’ which we left on the parent planttill we got a good sturdy plant.

We wondered whether as Aechmeaorlandiana was a climbing bromeliad morethan a clumper, maybe our rules for thistype were not as applicable.

I hope the proceeding information willhelp along your collection of bromeliads.Don’t forget to let us hear of your results.

What is the phenomenon of allure andcaptivation bromeliads exert over people?

They are prickly and scratch. More of-ten than not they are full of extremely

WHAT IS THISWITCHCRAFT?

by Lynn Hudson.

15Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

smelly water, which will inevitably spill orsplash on the person who is trying to tidythem up!

How do normal people suddenly getthe “brom-bug” after taking just one planthome? How do they suppose they will besatisfied with just one when there are hun-dreds of the scratchy little devils waiting totake over their gardens, homes and lives?Why do they change from brown eyednormal people to green eyed droolers whenfaced with a plant they have never seenbefore, and that ‘I have to have it’ monstertakes charge of their sanity and pocket?

I have heard them say they are notinterested in Tillandsias, then lo and beholdat the next meeting, they have purchasedsix or more – “just for contrast, aren’t theygreat?”. Next chance they get, they arebuying more! No one can stay with justone genera, each is too beautiful, too allur-ing.

Why is there such a strong friend-ship link between collectors? A group ofsuch persons, so utterly different, each at-tend their monthly club meetings, get toknow other enthusiasts from all around theworld through club affiliations, attend thebiennial conference like it is a religion - yesto learn, but just as much to rekindle friend-ships formed over the years.

It is quite mind - boggling. Theyhave Round Robin discussions on theInternet, they spend hours and years hy-bridizing and studying these plants thenvery carefully report their successes andfailures to other enthusiasts. They evenpublicly argue over the names and cultiva-tion of these plants - yet stay good friends.They go on collecting trips to both fasci-nating and dangerous places and reportback to avid envious friends and anyone

else who will listen. They use up years pre-paring books to share these wonderfulplants - books with magnificent photo-graphs. Then to share them further, manymore hours are forgone translating thesemagnificent books into other languages.

If only we could harness this enthu-siastic friendship. What a difference wecould make in this world.

But back to the plants and their al-lure. Is it borne of the sun shining througha beautiful purple neoregelia or spottedbillbergia? Is it the sudden appearance of aflower spike followed by the majesticblooming? Is it the beautiful colours thattouch and gladden our very core? Is it theway the little devils multiply so we can havemore - some to keep, some to give away,some to sell and finally some to mulch un-der the lawn mower when they threaten tobe really feral? Is it the same for other plantenthusiasts eg. rose lovers?

Maybe it is the fauna they attract -the scurrying lizard or the smiling sleepingvivid green frog, the noisy leatherhead orsilvereye bird stealing Tillandsia usneoidesfor his nest, or the stupid dove which putsdown a few twigs and lays her eggs amidstthem.

I do not know exactly what the al-lure is. Maybe it is just the whole fascinat-ing gamut of the bromeliad family and thebromeliad enthusiast family. But bewarned, the bug will get you - once youtake one home, they are addictive.

One thing I do know - the allure iscertainly not the fiendish scratchy prickles!Be warned, you too can become bewitched,bothered and bewildered by bromeliadsand yes, scratched.

16Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

Aechmea ‘Lucky Stripes’ RS Neoregellia carolinea 'tricolor’ RS

Neoregelia ‘C2’ RS Neoregelia ‘Nonis’ by Skotak RS

17Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

than normal, and those that arise sponta-neously in nature normally survive thecompetition for space and light only whenman intervenes, taking them from the wildfor cultivation.

Variegation is rarely found in the sub-family Pitcairnioideae, and is not particu-larly common in Tillandsioideae. It doesoccur, however, in the genera Guzmania,Vriesea, Alcantarea, and in a few speciesof Tillandsia. In the subfamily Bromelioi-deae, variegation is quite common, espe-cially in the genera Aechmea, Ananas, Bill-bergia, Cryptanthus, Neoregelia, andNidularium.

CAUSES OF VARIEGATIONAlthough there has been much progress

in scientific research on bromeliads, com-paratively little is known about the causesof variegation. As a general rule, botanistsagree that bromeliads have a rather muta-ble genetic structure, and therefore, severaldifferent theories are possible. The first ofthese link variegation to virus infection.

Viruses are common in plants and ani-mals and may cause many harmful anddebilitating illnesses. In nature, they pro-vide a quality control system for living or-ganisms. These viroids have the capacityto alter the genetic programming of plantcells by molecular inclusion or extractionof chromosomes. Bromeliads are known tohost viruses, but the physiological mecha-nisms of virus infection in plants is poorlyknown.

Viruses may attack the plant meristemor main vascular system. Bromeliads aremonocotyledons and as such, they mostlyhave parallel veins running lengthwisealong the leaves. Beginning from a tissuewith infected cells, as the plant grows, the“problem” is transmitted down the entire

VARIEGATION INBROMELIADS

(by Luiz Felipe Nevares de Carvalho)

Editorial comment (Bob Reilly) Re-printed, with permission of the BromeliadSociety International, from the Journal ofThe Bromeliad Society, 2000, volume 50(4), pp. 182-185. Variegated bromeliadsare often keenly sought after by collectors.In this article, the author discusses thecauses and types of variegation, as wellas the propagation of variegated brome-liads. Note that the process of naming aparticular variegated plant can sometimesbe more complex than might be inferredfrom the article.

Variegation is a rather common phe-nomenon in the plant kingdom, and isfound in many plant families. It is especiallypronounced in Bromeliaceae.

The word “variegata” comes from Latin– variegatuus, variegata, variegatum –meaning variable coloration with patchesof different colors. A bromeliad is knownas “variegata” when it has two or more dif-ferent colors. Over 60% of cultivated bro-meliads have bands, dots, lines, and streaks,and can therefore be considered variegated.However, the term is accepted in horticul-ture, when applied to bromeliads that havelines, streaks and longitudinal bands of con-trasting colors, especially those that showdifferences in pigmentation between thegreen chlorophyll-containing tissues andalbino tissues.

On the other hand, if we look at themany bromeliads that grow in the wild, itappears that variegation is a rare phenom-enon. As a general rule, patently variegatedplants are less hardy and slower growing

18Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

leaf, producing clearly defined lines orbands. Variegation that appears in plantsgrown from seed can be explained by pre-vious infection of the seed producing plant,even before ovule fertilization, or by infec-tion of the pollen grains. The viruses areoften no longer present when the symp-toms – variegation – manifest themselves.

Variegation is also thought to be fre-quently associated with environmental fac-tors, but there is no scientific proof to backup this assumption. Some investigatorssupport the hypothesis that natural radia-tion may cause genetic mutation. Labora-tory experiments show that B- and X- rayslower the number of meristem cells, whichmay cause variegation.

Chemical substances are also capableof producing variegation in plants. It is awell known fact that flower inducing sub-stances produce lateral buds of the“variegata” type in adult plants.

Factors relating to microclimate, tem-perature, humidity and light are also some-times mentioned as influencing variegation.Biological stress, such as prolonged dehy-dration or poor nutrition, is said to bringon variegation, as are ecological distur-bances such as fire, freezing, cyclones, etc.

In short, variegation may be caused bygenetic mutation or by virus infection, butit seems probable that a number of causescan potentially bring on this phenomenon.

TYPES OF VARIEGATIONPlants with two different types of tis-

sues – albino and chlorophyll-pigmented(diploid and tetraploid) – are called chime-ras. This definition can be applied to the“variegatas”. Variegation may be fixed ormutable, temporary or permanent. Tissueswith fewer chloroplasts are light green oryellowish in color. A total lack of

chloroplasts leads to white or cream-colored tissues.

There are certain visible forms of vari-egation that are recognized botanically, al-though the naming of forms is not alwaysconsistent or precise, and some are treatedas synonyms:

• variegata The white or yellowbands have no clear organization, and usu-ally do not extend to the margin of the leaf.As was mentioned above, the term“variegata” refers generically to any formof variegation (i.e. [sic] Vriesea platynmeavar. variegata). The term striata is also usedhere (i.e. [sic] Nidularium innocentii var.striatum).

• marginata The leaf margins arewhite (albomarginata) or yellow(flavomarginata) and the central part of theleaf is green (i.e. [sic] Aechmea nudicaulisvar. flavomarginata).

• lineata – Thin white or yellow linesrunning along the leaf (i.e. (sic) Nidulariuminnocentii var lineatum.

• medio-picta meaning “paintedcenter”, this type is similar to “variegata”but with green stripes in the centre of theleaf.

• tricolor three-colored; usuallygreen, cream and rose (ex. Neoregeliacarolinae forma tricolor).

• quadricolor –four colored; usuallywhite, yellow, red, and green (Aechmeamagdalenae var. quadricolor)

The pigment group known as theanthocyanins is present in many bromeli-ads; it is found in the epidermal cells andmay hide both chlorophyll-pigmented andalbino tissues. In Aechmea orlandiana‘Ensign’, anthocyanin produces a verybeautiful red or rose color in the albino tis-sue.

19Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

Vriesea saundersii RS

Vriesea saundersii displaying fadingvariegation RS

XAechopsis ‘Angeline’ flower DB

XAechopsis ‘Angeline’ DB

20Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

Reddish brown stripes and bands arefound in several hybrids such as Aechmea‘Red Ribbon’ and Neoregelia ‘AmazingGrace’.

Variegation is also found sometimes ininflorescences, and in primary and floralbracts, such as happens in some guzmaniahybrids.

PROPAGATION OF VARIEGATESTheoretically, vegetative reproduction

will lead to the replication of the motherplant, but this method is not totally reliablewhen dealing with variegates. Even the bestlines, the so-called fixed clones, may occa-sionally show some alteration. Some how-ever, have survived for decades withoutmutations, generation after generation.

As a rule, variegated plants are harderto grow than all-green plants. Inflores-cences are smaller than normal and the ten-dency to bud laterally is also reduced. Somehave definitely slower growth rates thannormal plants. This is especially true of vrie-seas and guzmanias, which are also slowerto root.

It is advisable to leave lateral shoots(pups - Editor) on the mother plant for alonger time than with normal plants. Expe-rience has shown that shoots about half thesize of the mother plant can be detachedwith no problem. An important sign ofshoot maturity is root emergence. To pro-mote increased production of lateral shoots,the removal of the newly formed inflores-cence is recommended, so that the plant canchannel its energy into the lateral shoots.

Multiple variegate plants tend to pro-duce either albino shoots or all-greenshoots. True albinos are apt to die whenseparated from the mother plant, thus wast-ing precious reproductive energy. It is there-fore recommended that they be removedas soon as they appear.

Around 20 years ago, I bought an ap-parently non-variegated clone of Vrieseusaundersii. This is an attractive plantgrown primarily for its foliage – see photo-graph pg.19.

However, my clone produces vari-egated plants (see photograph pg.19) un-der certain conditions. The variegatedplants are produced when the “mother” isnutrient-stressed (which means I put theplant under the bench and forgot about it).

As with most variegated bromeliads, thepups showing this trait are given the bestof attention including liquid fertiliser andplenty of light. The interesting outcomethough, is that this attention “causes” thevarigation to “fade”, so that it eventuallylooks like non-variegated plants. I haveheard of a similar phenomenon in certainpalms.

I would like to hear from anyone whohas had similar experiences, or has an al-ternative explanation for “the case of thefading variegation”.

THE CASE OF THEFADING VARIEGATION

(by Bob Reilly)

Shown in the BCR as either ‘Angeline’or ‘Angellina’ this came to Australia in the1980’s as Nidularium billbergioides‘citrinum angelina’ which caused heads tobe shaken when it flowered! Clearly it wasa bigeneric of sorts and it was eventuallydiscovered from Corn Bak that Aechmeafasciata was involved. The name had itsorigins at Kent’s Bromeliad Nursery in

xAechopsis ‘Angeline’by Derek Butcher

21Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

Can’t we get paranoid about councilinspectors or health department officialsexploring our bromeliads and finding evenone wriggler? The publicity on the TV islousy. They never differentiate between—bromeliads hold water therefore all mos-quitoes breed in them by the thousandsfrom—bromeliads contain water and mostof the time they control mosquitoes by hav-ing the eggs or the wrigglers destroyed. Isay “most of the time” because now andthen, as is natures way of keeping a bal-ance, the system must fail and mosquitoescan appear.

In Townsville from time to time you canspot four types of mosquito in bromeliads.For many years I have sampled my plantsby sucking up water and have never foundone of the nasty Aedes aegypti present.This is the mosquito currently found inTownsville and known to carry DengueFever. Last month a new mosquito wasdetected entering Australia from the north.It is called the Asian Tiger mosquito and it

spreads Dengue Fever and is expected, ifnot destroyed, to bring areas as far southas Sydney under its influence. It is quiteunlike Aedes aegypti now strictly a tropi-cal urban mosquito which , very impor-tantly, I repeat, I have never found breed-ing in broms. It is different in that it is moreof a rural mosquito. Will the new pest breedin broms? Does anyone know if this wasdiscussed at the recent convention on mos-quito and broms held in the Philippines?

The mosquitos known to breed in bro-meliads in Townsville are:

#1 Aedes notoscriptus—one of the saltmarsh plague mosquitos. These blow in bythe thousands from the salt marsh areasafter rain and/or king tides. Those comingfrom our broms are negligible in compari-son. The unfortunate thing about this mos-quito is that it takes a trained eye to differ-entiate a well-fattened Aedes aegypti (theone councils are concerned with) from apartly starved Aedes notoscriptus. Youneed a lens to see the lyre markings on thethorax or the white band on the proboscis.So rule one is all mosquitos with those foot-ball sock markings are not one of the badones. Medically Aedes notoscriptus is ofsome concern as it can transmit Ross RiverFever if you have infected kangaroos, pos-sums or other carriers (not humans I be-lieve) in the area. The other mosquitos listedbelow are low incidence and really the pres-ence of Aedes notoscriptus just in yourgarden and not a general infestation shouldbe your main indicator that somethingcould be wrong with your bromeliad hy-giene..

#2 Aedes tremulus –This is a very un-common orange mosquito. The odd one isfound around broms and also may indicateproblems in the darker areas of broms like

California because in their 1979 cataloguewe read Nidularium billbergioides‘Citrinum’ cv. ‘Angellina’ ‘Variegata’ atUS$75. At this price one can only assumethere were not many plants in existence! Itwas then called xNidumea ‘Angeline’

When Nidularium billbergioidesbecame a Canistropsis the bigeneric namexAechopsis was used.

It is interesting that the variegation isclearly seen in the inflorescence.

The Ultimate Method forControlling Mosquitoes in

Bromeliads.By Rob Smythe MSc

22Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

the wells in Billbergias. If you see these,act by checking darkened areas.

#3 Culex fatigans or Culex quinque-fasciatus. This is an urban mosquito. I thinkthese two names are synonyms. Thesebreed in large numbers in my bird bathsand every week they have to be tipped outtaking care that they don’t finish up in thebroms. I personally have never found thesein broms but a research team from Tropi-cal Health, looking for predators, foundthem in the side axil ponds in large vrie-seas and alcantareas. Health wise they arebad for the dogs as they carry heartworm.Interestingly in the bromeliads in my gar-den these wrigglers don’t usually reachmaturity as the next mosquito species I willmention eats them.

#4. Toxorhynchites speciosus—a beau-tiful mosquito in more ways than one. Italso has the football socks and is beauti-fully marked and is much larger than theothers mosquitos mentioned. It standsapart, as it dances on the water in any ofthe plants with a sizable water pondage. Youcan bet that if you find a large pondagewith wrigglers in it they are often quicklyeaten and you finish up with only a verylarge solitary reddish wriggler. This is it, ithas eaten all brothers and sisters and anycompatriots who may have come along. Itgrows with the availability of the food sup-ply and I have observed the one wriggler inresidence for up to three months. Very in-terestingly this insect itself survives thepredators that destroy the undesirable wrig-glers. How convenient is that? When I havefound Culex fatigans I have poured thecontents of the plant well into vessels andsealed them. All but once the predator ateall the offenders. Really this therefore is farfrom being a problem mosquito in Towns-

ville.All that is by way of introduction. In

the past with the help of a crustacean mos-quito predator named mesocyclops andother fly in predators like the above men-tioned mosquito and midges, my thousandsof plants have stayed mosquito free forextended periods. The plants must be keptfree of detritus including spent flowerheads. Unfortunately nature demands abalance between those doing the predatingand those being predated upon. I have ob-served this while cultivating mymesocyclops using laboratory conditions(not in broms but in glasses). In addition tosexual reproduction the mesocyclops caneach divide into two. This must play hellwith their digestive systems as wrigglers cansurvive during this period of dieting. Thisis because this asexual reproduction hap-pens to all of the mesocyclops at the sametime. Probably triggered off by some ex-ogenous factor like weather change or foodsupply. So if we are still paranoid as a re-sult of this rare break down in our brom’sdefence system, I think I have found theperfect solution. What I am saying belowis early days stuff not tested with time con-suming scientifically designed experimentsbut just conclusions from observations bysomeone with a scientific background.

Use of Water Crystals for controllingmosquitoes in Bromeliads.

250 gm of Water Storage Crystals willswell in water up to about 30 litres. I placedthese swollen crystals in to all the waterretaining areas of my broms. Fortnightly Icarefully go round and sprinkle a few driedcrystals where needed. After two months Iestimate it will cost me less than a dollar aweek to be absolutely free of mosquitoes.

23Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

Observations.#1. 10 % of my broms were sampled

after 2 months with absolutely zero mos-quitoes found.

#2. Where wrigglers were introducedthey were all dead the next day.

#3. In most cases the other predatorswere still present after 2 months but in re-duced numbers. The different swimmingmotion of wrigglers does not allow themto negotiate the gel particles while with thesquirming motion of midges it is also OKand with the minute size and swimmingaction of mesocyclops it is also to no dis-advantage.

#4. Sometimes when topping up the geltoo much is added and it swells up abovethe waterline which compresses the gelbelow killing all the pond life mentioned.

#5. The health of the plants, surpris-ingly, seems to improve and mothers seemto last longer. The reason for the former Ican only presume is that small amounts ofdecaying matter may not be visible and willnot be washed out. This becomes a supplyof extra food. The untreated mothers usu-ally dry out and gel might supply muchneeded moisture.

#6. Plants are easily cleaned by collect-ing debris off the gel rather than washing itout. It can also be washed off with care.

#7. The gel breaks down faster in stronglight and some plants seem to have amechanism for breaking it down. Thismight be the result of (an hypothesis) anintrinsic defence system of the plant de-signed to hydrolyse egg shells or youngwrigglers. Neo. concentrica and its hybridsare the ones observed with this property.

#8. In places where I have missed fill-ing the pondage with gel the natural preda-tors were in large numbers like I have never

seen before. Presumably this is becausethere has been no need to wash outpondages as before. Before it was a balancebetween washing out wrigglers and detri-tus versus washing out predators. I alwaysadvise new growers using the predator con-trol method to wash either the central wellor the side pondages but never both at thesame time.

I have observed that when I put only asmall amount of water crystals in thepondage I still don’t get wrigglers. I don’tknow why. I tested this out in my bushhouse with a glass of water with about 10%of the water volume occupied by expandedcrystals. It has sat there for 6 months andnot one wriggler. It is growing algae, andthe crystals are still there but never a singlemosquito was present.

When do I use it?#1. When there are mosquitos in my

yard without an apparent reason.#2. When I am going away for a time.How much do I use?To just below the waterline so it is not

visible.Are there any problems?Only one so far and that is when the

well has detritus in it and becomes anoxicso that pathogens can build up due to thislack of transfer of oxygen down to the rot-ting material—types of centre rot can beenhanced. This is easily avoided—watchout for dark colouration due to rotting de-tritus— wash it out and replace it.

How long does it last?Except for a few neos that like full sun

it decomposes slowly (months). If there isa lot of pond life present, I have observedat least one little creature which appears toeat it, the life of the gel is reduced to one totwo weeks. Other unrelated tests I did

24Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

showed that some bacteria break it down.Sunlight appears to accelerate its decom-position.

Any other positives?Yes, I believe with the extended dry

seasons that water penetration in soil isbecoming a serious problem. The washed-out viscous liquid resulting from the breakdown of the gel could, I expect, enhancewater absorption around the plant.

I believe mothers last longer as theydon’t dry out readily.

My crossings have been far more suc-cessful but this could turn out a negative asI may just be creating land bridges for pol-linating ants to access the flowers.

Any other uses?There are probably many. These are

only suggestions.#1. Swell it in a fertilizer solution and

create a slow release fertilizer.#2. Put it in your germinating mixture.

It can take microwave sterilization.#3. Use it for what it was designed.

Holding water. I use a lot of it in hangingbaskets. One unusual side effect is that bas-kets are full when fully wet and can appearhalf empty when very dry.

#4 If you are one of the fewer and fewerpeople using pesticides you could place thesystemic pesticide in the well and coverwith swollen gel so pets and wild life won’tdrink the poisonous water.

I’ll conclude by saying that I have notsaid it won’t kill your plants but I can saythat I have been using this method for overtwelve months on and off as dictated bythe mosquitos or trips away and my plantslook better than ever. Though I am a chem-ist I should, but do not, know the compo-sition of the gel but since it is recommendedfor pot plant use I am assuming it is OK for

Editorial comment: Reprinted, withpermission of the Bromeliad Society ofNew Zealand (Inc), from Bromeliad, vol-ume 42 (9), September 2002, p.15.

During the hot summer months, Auck-land and many other places in New Zea-land have mosquitoes.

For those of us who grow bromeliadsin our gardens this can become a real prob-lem. Here are some suggested ‘solutions.’

If you have only a few bromeliads, theproblem can be best solved with a spray ofordinary fly spray in the cups and surround-ing leaves, but if you have many hundredsor perhaps thousands of plants, this methodis obviously not suitable.

So, let’s look at the life cycle of themosquitoes as it can help us to combatthem more efficiently. Their life cycle hasvarious stages: e.g. egg, larva, pupa, andadult. If the life cycle is interrupted on anyone of these, then the mosquito can’t re-produce. This interruption can occur in

GETTING RID OFMOSQUITOES(By Gerry Stansfield)

bromeliads. Time will tell. My confidenceis great as all my plants have had it placedin them. Not a good scientific technique asit suggests some bias in experimental plan-ning.

Remember it is early days but thismethod is sure worth further testing andexperimentation. It might be like siliconpolymer, made by a chemist and found outto be useless for what he wanted. He threwit out. Today how could we live with outsilicon glues? Rob Smythe: rsmythe@austarnet.com.au.

25Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

several ways.Preventing water from standing is ob-

viously the best way, as each of these stagesrequires water, but unfortunately so do ourbromeliads, but hosing them out over thesummer months is one way we can pre-vent them from breeding. But here again,if you have a large number of bromeliadsand many of us do, this can be not onlytime consuming, but awkward, stretchingover large areas of plants etc.

One very good solution come from ourwell known Auckland grower Len Trotmanof Te Atatu South.

(Actually, this was not originally de-signed for mosquitoes but as a repellentagainst slugs, snails, and also to avert quill-ing in bromeliads).

Len Trotman’s recipe for mosquitoes:

500 ml of Sunlight Liquid (dish washing).200 ml of Household Cloudy Ammonia.100ml of Citronella or Pine-O-Cleen dis-infectant.

Pour the contents into 51ltrs of coldwater.

As this mixture is very concentrated,use only at 2 to 4 tablespoons per litre ofwater in your watering cans. It can also bemixed with your liquid fertilizer, and canbe used weekly if desired. It is not detri-mental to your bromeliads even at the seed-ling stage.

You will notice when spraying, thatfoam is generated, but this is not a prob-lem as each of the stages in the life cycle ofthe mosquito is dependent upon the sur-face tension of the water. The adults reston the surface to lay eggs and the otherforms hang below the surface. If the sur-face tension is broken, then the life cycle isinterrupted.

As most members are aware, Fire Ants,Solenopsis invicta, are serious pests, whichhave been detected in Queensland, Aus-tralia. They inflict a painful sting and if noteradicated will seriously affect our lifestyle.They are the greatest ecological threat toAustralia since the introduction of the rab-bit and are potentially worse than the canetoad.

The Department of Primary Industrieshas undertaken an eradication program thathas been in effect since 2001. Due to theapplication of this program, Doonan thusclaims the distinction of being the very firstinfested area in Queensland to be declaredfree of imported red fire ants. This is a sig-nificant milestone in the battle to eradicatethe red imported fire ant in Queensland.However, this does not mean that we are inthe clear yet but is encouraging news. Mostother areas that fall within the “Restrictedarea” are currently in their surveillance pe-riod. At present “Restricted areas” includesuburbs southwest of Brisbane, areas southand east of Ipswich and some suburbsaround the mouth of the Brisbane River.

Part of the strategy to prevent the spreadof fire ants includes movement controls orrestrictions on high risk materials that canspread the ants. This requires that peoplemoving plants from these areas need tohave an Approved Risk Management Plan(ARMP) in place. This applies regardlesswhether the plants are for the trade table(s),display or competition. It also applies tofunctions held by the BSQ such as theSpring Show.

Continued on page 27

Fire Ant Updateby David Brown

BSQ Fire Ant Co-ordinator

26Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

BSQ display at Garden Affair 2005 BB

27Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

On 30 April/1 May, the QueenslandCouncil of Garden Clubs held its annualshow and plant sale at the Mt Coot-thaBotanic Gardens. The event was well sup-ported by members of the public.

More than ten clubs mounted displays.In addition to the Society, they included:African Violet Society of Queensland, Cac-tus & Succulent Society of Queensland,and the Queensland Begonia Society. BobCross worked his usual magic with the So-ciety’s display. It featured a colourful mix-ture of aechmeas, billbergias, guzmanias,neoregelias, and vrieseas. At the rear of thedisplay, grey and green-leafed tillandsiaswere mounted on a timber “back-drop”.

In the competition, there was a classdevoted to bromeliads. There were 15 en-tries covering several genera including:Aechmea, Cryptanthus, Guzmania, Ne-oregelia, and Vriesea. First prize was wonby a well grown specimen of Vr. fosteriana‘Speckles’, with second place being wonby an unnamed neoregelia hybrid.

The competition had classes for a widerange of other plants such as begonias,ferns, other foliage plants, and orchids(there were some spectacular plants in thisclass). There was a good display of floralart and cut flowers.

A wide variety of plants were on saleranging from outdoor ones such asgrevilleas and miniature roses, through toherbs, ferns, bromeliads, succulents, coleusand african violets, Some garden products,such as fruit fly attractant, were also avail-able for purchase.

Thanks are due to those people whoprovided the plants for the Society’s dis-

play and helped set it up, as well as thosewho staffed it during the show. A “thankyou” also to those members who broughtplants along for sale, as this also contrib-uted to the show’s success.

2005 A-GARDEN-A-FAIR(by Bob Reilly)

The controls are part of The Plant Pro-tection Act 1989, and its associated regu-lations, which provides penalties of up to$15,000 for the provision of false or mis-leading information. The Act also providespenalties of up to $75,000 for individualsand up to $375,000 for corporations forbreaching the control regulations. There areno penalties however for reporting Fire ants.

The BSQ currently has its own ARMPin place but it is still required that individu-als who wish to move plants from withinthese restricted areas need to apply to theDPI to have current site inspections of theirstorage facilities and be issued with a siteinspection number. This can be arranged bycontacting the DPI directly on 132523.ARMP’s set out strategies that people canimplement to reduce the risk of spreadingfire ants, as well as reducing the chance oftheir premises or equipment becoming in-fested with fire ants. The plans are devel-oped with the assistance of a DPI&F In-spector and can take as little as 20 minutesto draw up. If you have any queries aboutfire ants you can either contact myself orcontact the DPI directly on 132523

Continued from page 25

14-17 OctoberBromeliads XIII

Conference, Bardon Conference

Centre.

28Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

Alcantarea species are increasingly be-ing used in sub-tropical and tropical areasas “feature” plants in landscaped gardens.Often, an even more impressive effect canbe achieved if they are planted in groups orrows. However, it is not always easy toobtain large numbers of these plants.

These plants can be grown fairly easilyfrom seed. But, seed is not always avail-able, and it can sometimes be incorrectlylabelled. Further, it may be desired to propa-gate from a particularly striking plant(clone). In these situations, vegetativepropagation can be relied upon to producethe plants you desire.

A rapid vegetative propagation tech-nique is available for alcantareas. This tech-nique, and a modification of it suitable forgrowers with less elaborate growing “aids”,is described in the balance of this article.

Alcantareas produce small “adventi-tious” offsets (see photograph opposite -top left) when the plants are immature and,with much reduced frequency, when theyare approaching maturity. The propagationtechnique relies on harvesting, and rapidlymultiplying, these offsets.

The technique has a number of steps,namely:

• Detach the adventitious offset(s)from the parent plant. This can best beachieved by placing a small knife’s bladebehind the offset (and near its base), andthen “levering it out”. Ensure that the off-set has “basal tissue”, as the plant’s roots

RAPID VEGETATIVEPROPAGATION OF

ALCANTAREAS(by Bob Reilly)

originate from it. (This step usually requiressome practice to achieve consistent success.Inexperience may result in you severing theoffset without any basal tissue. The pho-tograph opposite bottom shows offsetswhich will produce roots.)

• Adventitious offsets as small as onecentimetre (cm) high can often be harvestedsuccessfully. However, the offsets of somespecies, for example, Alcantarea imperalis,need to be about 4 cm high before they canbe harvested with a high success rate.

• Pot the offsets into 50 mm pots/tubes, using a potting mixture comprisedof 1 part Perlite to 1 part peatmoss, com-bined with a slow release (9 months plus)fertiliser such as Osmocote or Nutricote.

• Water the plants at least four timesa day.

• Use a liquid fertiliser once a week.• When the plants are about 10 cm

high, pot them into a 140 millimetre (mm)pot. The basal tissue of the plant needs tobe exposed, so as to maximise the produc-tion of adventitious offsets. It may be ad-vantageous to use small stakes to help sup-port the plant.

• The potting mixture should includea balanced plant fertiliser such as Osmo-cote. Continue using liquid fertiliser on aweekly basis.

• When the first group of adventitiousoffsets are removed from each plant, re-move its basal leaves. This action stimulatesthe production of more offsets.

• Offsets can be removed throughoutthe year, if “bottom heat” can be suppliedto them while they are developing roots.

This technique can produce over 50 off-sets from the initial offset in less than a year.

If you do not have access to the equip-ment needed to provide a misting “set up”

29Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

Alcantarea extensa with number ofpups growing from its base RS

Alcantarea extensa closeup of 5cm high pup - note roots from base RS

Alcantarea extensa RS

30Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

and bottom heat, then the technique out-lined above requires modifying. The modi-fications are:

• Offsets are harvested when they are4 to 7 cm high, rather than 1 cm. Such off-sets usually only require watering once aday or every second day.

• Place several of the offsets in a 100mm pot (known as a “community” pot),rather than separately into 50 mm contain-ers. (Better survival and growth rates areachieved this way.)

• Once the minimum night tempera-ture falls below 10 degrees Celsius, ceaseremoving offsets, as they will usually pro-duce few, if any, roots below this tempera-ture.

This modified technique usually resultsin around 10 offsets being produced fromthe initial offset, over a 12 months’ period.

The techniques outlined above havealso been used successfully to rapidlypropagate those Vriesea and Werauhia spe-cies, which produce adventitious offsets.

Acknowledgements The first tech-nique described in this article is largelybased on a lecture given by Bruce Dunstanto the March 2004 meeting of the Brome-liad Society of Queensland. I thank DougUpton for taking some the photographsused to illustrate it.

Author contact details:bob.reilly@nrm.qld.gov.au

LIBRARY BOOKREVIEWS: PART 2

(by Bob Reilly)

The Society has an extensive library ofbooks which are available for borrowing bymembers who attend the monthly meet-ings. Some of these books are now “outof print” which means you cannot buy acopy (unless you’re fortunate enough toobtain a second-hand one).

In this article, two “out of print” booksheld by the library are reviewed.

CANISTRUM – BROMELIADS OFTHE ATLANTIC FOREST

The book was written by Elton Leme.It was published in 1997 by SalamandraConsultoria Editorial Ltda

This book is the first volume of the“Projeto Nidularium”. The other two vol-umes are: Canistropsis – Bromeliads ofthe Atlantic Forest, and Nidularium – Bro-meliads of the Atlantic Forest. Collec-tively, the three volumes constitute a ma-jor taxonomic revision of the genusNidularium and related species.

The book has 107 pages and over 60colour photographs. Detailed botanical de-scriptions, as well as a commentary on theirdistribution and habitat, are presented forseven Canistrum , three Edmundoa, fiveWittrockia, and four Aechmea species. Aphotograph of a flowering plant is providedfor each species and, in some cases, a habi-tat photograph as well.

While many of the species are of lim-ited horticultural appeal, some are very at-tractive. Examples include: Canistrumseidelianum, fosterianum, andtriangulare; Wittrockia superba,tenusiepala, and gigantea; and Aechmea

All garden plants that have been re-tained in pots till time to plant out, the timeis right now. I have collected so many newplants this past year that I managed to re-place each mother as it was removed.

Planting Out(by Robert Smythe)

31Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

echinata.The second part of the book consists

of a discussion on the defining characteris-tics of Hylaeaicum, a neoregelia sub-genus(photographs of some of the species in thissub-genus are included); commentary onAechmea aculeatosepala; followed byblack and white photographs of the “typespecimens”, and line drawings of the de-fining characteristics, for many of the spe-cies described in the book. A comprehen-sive list of references and an index com-plete the book.

While an understanding of botanicalterms will help you when reading this book,such knowledge is by no means essential.Further, the book contains the most com-prehensive published descriptions of thespecies in the Canistrum, Edmundoa, andWittrockia genera, in a consolidated form.The book is well worth reading just for thisinformation.

A DISTRIBUTIONAL CHECK-LISTOF THE GENUS TILLANDSIA

The book’s author is Lloyd Kiff. It waspublished by Botanical Diversions in 1991.

The book’s objectives are presented inits first paragraph, namely:

“… This check-list is intended to pro-vide a single source for currently acceptednames of Tillandsia species and an outlineof their ranges. In addition, brief taxonomicnotes are inserted for clarification. Coun-try-by-country lists of Tillandsia species,based mostly on the published literature,and an index of synonyms are ap-pended…”

As well as utilising the published litera-ture, the author drew on the personal ex-perience of many tillandsia experts to re-solve, where practical, inconsistencies be-tween publications, as well as providing

their unpublished information on the mat-ters discussed in the book.

The book is primarily a listing of tilland-sia species, and their ranges. (The latter in-formation can sometimes be quite usefulin helping you decide whether a particularspecies is likely to grow in your conditions.)A high standard of accuracy has beenachieved in the book.

The author has also included usefulcomments on certain taxonomic issues, forexample, where published sources differ intheir statements on whether a particularplant is justified in having species “status”.This information, when combined with thelist of synonyms on pages 60 to 76, can bequite useful in helping you ascertain thecurrent botanically-accepted name for aplant which is labelled with a name whichis no longer in use. (It can also help youavoid buying the same plant twice, but un-der two different names!)

As well as a list of synonyms, the bookhas a comprehensive bibliography, and alist of the tillandsia species known to occurin each country in the Americas.

When reading this book, one issue youneed to be aware of is that there have beena number of taxonomic changes, and newdiscoveries, since the book was publishedin 1991. Unfortunately, there is no readilyaccessible source of this information.

This book is primarily of interest to thetillandsia specialist.

Bromeliad Bonanza Spring ShowNovember 5-6

For further details:Beryl Batcheloremail:berylbatchelor@dodo.com.au or

phone (07)3390 2214

32Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

2005 TILLANDSIAWORKSHOP

(by Bob Reilly)

Fourteen people attended this event.Topics discussed included:

• Techniques for maximising thechances of obtaining seed when pollinat-ing tillandsias were discussed. For exam-ple, some tillandsias are self-sterile, so youneed two different clones to achieve polli-nation.

• It takes at least 5, and more usually10 to 15 years, to produce a floweringtillandsia plant from seed. So, I will have towait a long time to see the results of mycross of T. chiapensis and T. jalisco-monticola.

• Tillandsias which dislike beingmounted or grown in pots were considered.Typically, best results for these plants areobtained by either tying a piece of wire ontoa part of the plant and then hanging it froma support, or by “hooking” the “end” ofthe plant into a sheet of galvanised mesh.Tillandsias which like this treatment in-clude: albida, chartacea, latifolia v. ma-jor, and purpurea. Also, clumps of sometillandsias can grow well if they are placedon top of a wire mesh bench. Some tilland-sia species which grow well this way in-clude: concolor, ionantha and juncea.

• A variety of unusual mounts fortillandsias were displayed. Examples were:the top of an earthenware pot, and awooden stump.

• Many of the larger growing grey-leafed tillandsias appreciate having accessto some moisture-retaining material intowhich they can send their roots. The extramoisture obtained in this manner helps

meet the plant’s water needs. The dilemma,though, is that the material needs to dry outrapidly between waterings. Otherwise, theplant may rot.

• One way of dealing with this issue,is to place such plants in “open mesh” typepots, such as those used for growing cer-tain orchids. (The potting mixture is usu-ally comprised of pine bark chunks of vary-ing sizes.)

• Madge Jarvis demonstrated amethod which she has used with consider-able success. Take some plastic “gutterguard”, fold it over so as to form a “pocket”,fill the pocket with pine bark chunks, useplastic-covered wire to “sew” up the pock-et’s edges, and then attach a tillandsia toone of the pocket’s outer surfaces. Thepocket and plant is then “hung up” in ashadehouse. The potting mixture dries outrapidly between waterings because of theexcellent air movement through the pocket.This technique also has the advantage ofproducing a very “neat looking” product.

• Some of the many forms of T.cyanea were shown. Rarer forms includeda variegated clone and one with a multi-branched inflorescence.

• A number of the green-leafedtillandsia species appear quite sensitive tothe concentration of salt in the water usedon them. If a plant is showing signs of leaf“burn”, or “dead edges”, then it may be bestto use rainwater, if you can obtain some.

• Several forms of T. punctulata weredisplayed. The plant’s white-tipped, blackpetals contrast sharply with its green sword-shaped “paddles”, and red bracts.

Society Display at RNAExhibition

11-20 August

33Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

Tillandsia purpurea RS

Tillandsia roseiflora RS Tillandsia juncea RS

34Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

( Reprinted from BromeliaeaeMARCH-APRIL 1990 )

Hands up all the people who have hadtrouble with their potted Tillandsias over theprolonged wet summer. You will find insome cases that the plant is starting to goyellow with leaves dying and a very pun-gent odour coming from the plant and mix.

These tillandsias, such as T.kalambacheri, T. lucida,and T. ponderosawhich fall in the group of neither reallygreen or silver-leaved tillandsias, have verylimited tolerances to over wet mixes in apotted situation. It is imperative that the mixbe allowed to dry out completely betweenwaterings and with our current spate ofweather this has been impossible. The hu-midity over the last few months has notaided the plants’ cause either and hascontributed to plant losses.

If you have potted tillandsias in yourcollection which look sick take the follow-ing steps:—

1. Remove plant from the pot.2. Remove all dead leaves and soft

decaying material from around the base ofthe plant.

3. Dust base of the plant with a goodreputable fungicide.

4. Try and keep plant water free for atleast ten days.

5. After plant is completely dried outmount to a piece of virgin cork or timberwith old panty hose.

If the plant survives and starts to growroots on the mount leave it where it is.Tillandsias mounted tend not to grow as big

as their potted brothers but their life expect-ancy in sustained wet periods is much moreassured.

Wet Weather Problemswith Potted Tillandsias

Author: Greg StewartPropagation of Caulescent*

Tillandsiasby Peter Paroz

When I first started growing theseplants, I felt sure there would be some wayof using the long stem to get a crop of off-sets. After experimenting for some years, Ifind there is no general rule. Some plantsoffset freely, others very sparingly; somerespond to sectioning**, others do not. Thefollowing is a summary of my observationsand I hope these may be of some use tothe newer growers.

T. latifolia var divaricata (large andsmall forms), duratii var saxatalis... Theseplants do not offset freely and I have notbeen able to force offsetting by cutting offsections of the old stem, even sections withfunctioning leaves. Close inspection of theleaf axils showed that the dormant eyeslooked dry and dead. Application of anauxin cream failed to produce any results.

T. albida offsets freely from the baseof the flower spike and will produce addi-tional offsets from sections of stem(150mm long).

T. edithae and T. funckiana offsetfrom the base of the flower spike and oc-casionally from the oldest (leafless) part ofthe stem. These latter have a very soft at-tachment to the plant while small, and areeasily dislodged. While I don’t recommendremoving these very small plants, I havesaved ones only 15mm long accidentallyknocked off. Allow the base to dry and treatas for small seedlings.

T. heteromorpha offsets freely

35Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

Tillandsia jalisco-monticola DU

Tillandsia stricta RS Tillandsia fuchsii forma gracillis RS

Tillandsia ionantha fuego RS

36Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

along the length of the live stem. Since thestem is small and thin, I have not tried sec-tioning the stem.

T. palacea offsets sparingly from theolder part of the stem. I have not floweredthis plant nor tried to section it.

T. tenuifolia seems to offset onlyfrom the base of the spike and sectioningthe old stem has done no more than dry itup.

T. incarnata offsets very freely atmaturity along the part of the stem whichhas functioning leaves.

T. purpurea has not flowered or pro-duced any offsets and as the plant is notlarge, I have not experimented with it.

T. araujei offsets sparingly from thebase of the flower spike. Sectioning has notbeen successful.

Adequate nutrition is essential forgood offset production. Plants which do nothave a good reserve of nutrients cannotsupport a large number of offsets.

......................* Caulescent….Having a long stem.** Sectioning…. The cutting of the

stem into short segments to try to inducegrowth of the dormant buds. There is a budand potentially an offset in the axil of eachleaf.

Emails to the Editor

The following is an extract from alengthy email sent in by Don Woods ofWilletton, WA. At Don’s suggestion it hasbeen split and other sections will be usedin the next edition of this journal. His com-ments are in connection with the last is-sue of this journal. In his email is a sub-stantial section on plant labelling, this willbe the basis of an article in the next issue.

• “You need to be careful of identify-ing your plant from a photo! A good ex-ample is on page 27, on a quick glance wecould assume Pitcairnia maidifolia is avariegated form of the species. However Ibelieve the foliage shown is of a differentplant family.

• The comments attached to the Fi-nancial Statement on page 14 asking forsuggestions regarding accumulated funds.It is my personal opinion that large sumsof accumulated funds usually attract per-sons with hidden agendas to seek office andonce they are entrenched it is difficult tocounter these agendas. However a goodrule of thumb with any sums of money isthat this money is used for NEEDS, NOTfor WANTS, especially if needs are not be-ing met!

• With reference to pages 19-29 - Anexcellent feature! Why not send copies toall Bromeliad organisations affiliated withBSI International, as this issue of Brome-liaceae is the perfect promotion material forBromeliad Society of Queensland Inc.”

Editors Reply: I take your point aboutphotographs illustrating an article andthe importance that the subject is clearlydefined. I hope that the photographs Ihave used this issue have overcome thatissue. However, sometimes it is necessaryto use other than ideal photographs, af-ter all this is a journal produced frommaterial submitted by members. Peopleneed to be encouraged to contribute, thereis no joy in submitting articles and pho-tographs that are never used. With validfeedback such as that you have provided,contributors can see where improvementneeds to be made. Thanks for the emailand kind comments at the end.

37Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

I thought it might be worthwhile to hearwhat a new member thinks of the society,so here goes but first I might explain how Ibecame hooked on Bromeliads in the firstplace.

I am still quite a novice when it comesto Bromeliads, but when the bromeliad bugbites it is like the jaws of life and it reallytakes hold. I became interested inbromeliads through a friend of mine thatlives in Cairns, after visiting a couple ofyears ago for a fishing holiday through thetop of the Cape York Peninsula and theTorres Strait Islands. I noticed that thisfriend had a mass clump of plants in hisgarden which happened to all be floweringat the same time and I thought they lookedfantastic (I soon learnt that this was thepopular and widely grown Billbergiapyrimidalis). He also had this nice bigorange coloured plant with these hugeleaves in full sun in one of his garden beds(this was the Aechmea blanchetiana). Afterasking what sort of plants these were andlearning they were in fact bromeliads andin the same family as the pineapple, he thenproceeded to show me the rest of hiscollection. I was spellbound, he hadbromeliads growing up his palm trees, inpots, in garden beds, and he had all of thesereally colourful leafed Neoregelias in agarden bed under these huge palm treeswhich I fell in love with (and actually tothis day neos remain my favouritebromeliads). He also explained to me howeasy bromeliads were to grow and take careof and how fast they multiplied, and

needless to say I was hooked.After arriving back in Brisbane I bought

a copy of the book “Bromeliads for theContemporary Garden” by Andrew (whichwas fantastic and got me even morehooked) and then started to compile myown small collection of Bromeliads. I donot own my own house at this stage anddo not have greenhouses or such, but I dohave some nice garden beds which are nowoverflowing with bromeliads (mainlyneoregelias, billbergias and aechmeas). Ialso have bromeliads growing up a palmtree in the back yard.

After liaising with my friend Brendanand looking up information on the net (aswell as attending the society’s Spring Showof Bromeliads), I soon learned that therewere bromeliad societies devoted to thecultivation and growing of these wonderfulplants. I naturally became very interestedin seeing what the society was all about. Atthis stage Brendan had been a member ofthe Cairns Bromeliad Society for a while(and is actually now the secretary of theCairns Bromeliad Society), and encouragedme to attend one of the Bromeliad Societyof Queensland (BSQ) meetings.

I joined the BSQ in late 2004, but it wasnot until the February 2005 meeting that Iattended my first meeting (which happenedto be the societies AGM and also whenBrendan was visiting Brisbane for work andenthusiastically agreed to come along). I didnot really know what to expect, but walkinginto the main hall and seeing close to ahundred people really surprised me. Ithought Wow, these people are really intobromeliads. After having a look around wespotted the Book sales table (whichBrendan swooped on and spent about $60in 5 minutes) and then we headed outside

Perspective on the Societyfrom a new member

by Michael Copestake

38Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

where our eyes lit up like Xmas tree lightsafter spotting the bromeliads for sale. Westarted accumulating a collection of bromsto buy and did not really think it odd thatwe were the only ones, it was only whenwe juggled our collection of broms to thesales table with grins as wide as dinnerplates that we were told by the lovely ladyat the table that “I am sorry, but you cannotbuy any broms until half time and then it isa case of first in first served”. Needless tosay we were very embarrassed and afterapologising and returning the broms to thesales area, we very sheepishly tried to makeourselves as small and as inconspicuous aspossible at the back of the room.

The President then announced thatthose interested make their way to the sideroom for the beginner’s class, which ofcourse we were very interested in. The classwas conducted by Olive Trevor on thegrowing of patterned leafed vrieseas. Olivewas a wealth of information and kepteveryone enthralled in the presentation. Itwas a fantastic informative class and at theend of it I could not wait to attend the nextone.

Next was the annual general meeting,where the all the formal committeepositions were elected / re-elected andbusiness agenda were discussed. After allthe formalities, it was break time and ofcourse we could once again startaccumulating the broms we had originallycollected for buying. After purchasing ourbroms the meeting was about torecommence.

During the break I caught up with FranDawson the then Secretary who I had beenin contact with when joining the Society inNovember 2004, and after having a chatwith her and Brendan mentioning that hehad recently been elected to the position

of secretary of the Cairns Society Fran saidshe would have to mention it to thePresident.

The raffle was then drawn, which to mysurprise I happened to win the first drawand hence had the pick of the table(needless to say I was very excited). Whilecollecting my win, I heard the Presidentmention to the assembly that there was aguest from the Cairns society visiting andasked Brendan to stand up and everyoneto put their hands together. Brendan was alittle embarrassed and as he put it, it waslike 90+ sunflowers turning to face him buthe said it was very genuine and felt put atease immediately.

The general meeting then commencedand once again I was pleasantly surprised,there were slides of different bromeliadsand flora from across Australia includingthe grass trees of Western Australia inflower. There were competitions with thecommentary also by Olive and a generaldiscussion on bromeliads. It was a mostenjoyable meeting and by the end of it, Icould not wait to attend the next.

I have now attended all meetings since,as well as becoming involved in the studygroup sessions and I could not be happier.I am learning more and more aboutbromeliads all the time and wouldencourage everyone interested inbromeliads to join the society and getinvolved. I am now looking forward to allof the events put on by the society and willalso be registering for the bromeliadconference in October.

Even though I am still a bit nervousabout it, I am also being encouraged byOlive Trevor to have a go at entering someof my bromeliads into the competitionswhich I will do eventually I am sure.

39Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

21 July Society general meeting. Venue: Uniting Church Hall, 52Merthyr Rd New Farm.

· Beginners’ class topic: Growing green-leafed vrieseas.Discussion led by Narelle Aizlewood. Commences 7.30pm.

· Main meeting topic: Growing miniature neoregelias.Discussion led by Arnold James. Please bring along any ofthese plants you may have.

· Mini-show Class 1: Billbergia, Class 2: Tillandsioideae notlisted elsewhere in the schedule, Class 3: Neoregelia – up to200mm diameter when mature, Class 4: Any other mature(flowering) bromeliad. Species and hybrids are eligible forentry in all classes.

· Plant of the month: Species and hybrids from the followinggenera – Nidularium, Ochagavia, Orthophytum.

11-20 August Society Display at RNA Exhibition. Set up is on 10August. We need people to supply plants for, and help set up, thedisplay; and to staff it throughout the show. The Society providesfree entry tickets, or will refund the cost of a “single” entry ticket.Many of our members have joined the Society after seeing our exhibitat the RNA, so your support for this activity helps build theSociety of the future. Phone Bob Cross (07) 3265 4364 if you wishto help set up the display or would like to supply plants for it.Evelyn Rees (phone 07 3355 0432) is compiling the staffing register,so please contact her if you would like to assist in this activity.

18 August Society general meeting. Venue: Uniting Church Hall, 52Merthyr Rd New Farm.

· Beginners’ class topic: Basics of growing bromeliads.Discussion led by Narelle Aizlewood. Commences 7.30pm.

· Main meeting topic: Question and answer session on anybromeliad issue you may have. Discussion leaders: OliveTrevor and Cheryl Basic.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS: JULY – SEPTEMBER 2005(compiled by Bob Reilly)

40Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

· Popular vote: Species or hybrids from any genus.· Plant of the month: Species and hybrids from the following genera:

Pepinia, Pitcairnia, Portea, Pseudaechmea, Pseudananus, Puya.27 August Bus trip to Gold Coast/Mt Tamborine Botanic Gardens.` Leaves Uniting Church Hall, 52 Merthyr Rd New Farm at 7.30am,

Palmdale Shopping Centre, Logan Rd, Mt Gravatt 7.45am.Returns to Uniting Church Hall at 5.30pm. All bus seats must bepaid for in advance. Phone BSQ Field Day Co-ordinator, NancyKickbusch, for more details on (07) 3300 1704. Cost $15.00 ea

15 September Society general meeting. Venue: Uniting Church Hall52 Merthyr Rd New Farm.· Beginners’ class topic: Growing aechmeas. Discussion led by

Dorothy Cutcliffe. Commences 7.30pm.· Main meeting topic: Some neoregelia hybrids. Presenter: Arnold

James.· Popular vote: Any genus: species or hybrid.· Plant of the month: Species and hybrids from the following genera;

Quesnelia, Racinaea, Ronnbergia and Steyerbromelia.24 September Plant show and sale presented by the Gold CoastSucculent and Bromeliad Society (Inc). Timings: 10am-3pm. Venue:

Southport Community Centre, Lawson St, Southport. Admission:$2. More information: phone Pat Ross (President) on(07) 5576 1186.

2006 Field Days and Bus TripEach year the Society aims to hold two to three field days at members’

gardens and a bus trip (which can also be to members’ gardens).If you are interested in hosting a field day in 2006, or being included

on the bus trip itinerary, please telephone the Field Day Co-ordinator,Nancy Kickbusch (on (07) 3300 1704), by 15 August 2005.

While priority will be given to members who have not previously hostedfield days, everyone is invited to let Nancy know if you are interested.Nancy will be making recommendations to the Society’s ManagementCommittee in September 2005, and the 2006 field day and bus trip programwill then be advertised in Bromeliaceae.

41Bromeliaceae JULY/AUGUST 2005

MIDHURST BROMELIAD NURSERY

SPECIALIST GROWERS OF TILLANDSIA SEEDLINGSHard grown to suit All Australian conditions

Wholesale and Mail Order OnlyWrite for a free price lists of Tillandsia and other genera to:

MIDHURST BROMELIAD NURSERYP. O. BOX 612 HURSTBRIDGE, 3099

PHONE (03) 9718 2887 FAX (03) 9718 2760EMAIL : mossy@melbpc.org.au

M. J. PATERSON212 SANDY CREEK ROAD, GYMPIE, Qld 4570

Large Range of Bromeliads For SaleEspecially our own Hybrid Tillandsias and Neoregelias

DO CALL IN IF YOU ARE UP THIS WAY BUT PLEASE PHONE FIRST

PHONE / FAX 9070 5482 3308EMAIL: paterson@spiderweb.com.au

PINEGROVE BROMELIADSSpecialising in Neoregelias, Aechmeas, Tillandsias, Vrieseas

Gusmanias, Rare Species and Hybrids

VISITORS WELCOME PHONE (02) 6683 4188 OPEN 7 DAYS

Opportunity to view over 8000 different species and hybrids

SEND LARGE STAMPED ADDRESSED ENVELOPE FOR MAIL LIST

JUNE and JOHN BUCHANANP. O. BOX 61 - PINE STREET - WARDELL, NSW, 2477

Len and Olive Trevor232 Canvey Road, Ferny Grove, Qld 4053

Specialising in hybrid Vrieseas, Aechmeas, VariegatedNeoregelias

Skotak Hybrids, Aussie Dream and varieties, and other qualityBromeliads

THE OLIVE BRANCH

FOREST DRIVE NURSERYLocated at REPTON, South of Coffs Harbour, NSW

Tillandsias to Titillate even the most discerning fanciersBeautiful Vrieseas (including Silver species), Guzmanias,

Aechmeas, Neoregelias, etc.

Visitors Welcome, Please Phone First (02) 6655 4130Mail Order List - Send SAE

Peter Tristram, PO Box 55, Repton, NSW, 2454

BRISBANE BROMELIAD CENTRE34 Hauton Road, Morayfield 4506

HUGE SELECTIONof

Aechmeas, Vrieseas, Guzmanias, NeoregeliasNidularium & Tillandsias

together with a variety of rarer species and hydridsBARBARA and LORRAINE

Phone (07) 5433 0303VISITORS by APPOINTMENT

Phone (07) 3351 1203Visitors welcome by appointment - Please Phone First

Specialising in species and varieties from mostly imported stock

BROM-MADLarge range of Bromeliads

Neoregelias & other Varieties, Species and HybridsVisitors Welcome by Appointment

Linda and Graham Percival1 Purcell Road, Bells Bridge, via Gympie. Q.4570

Enquires Phone (07) 5483 1634Web Page http://www.brom-mad.netfirms.com

SHADE HOUSES

Manufacturers of Orchid, Fern and Shade Houses since 1976

Ph: (07) 3207 2793Fax: (07) 3822 2307

151 Railway Pde., Thornside, Q 4158www.petersglen.com.au

BROMAGIC BROMELIAD NURSERY

421 Hunchy Rd, Palmwoods 4555Open to the Public

Wednesday to Saturday 10:00 – 4:30

A wide range of Bromeliads including first release Neoregelia hybrids

Web Site www.ozemail.com.au/~bromagic/On-Site Sales: Bernd Ruta / Kirsty Kennedy 5478 8989

Wholesale: Keith Golinski - 54450441

Tillandsia punctulataR

S