Australian and New Zealand Gardening: Bromeliads for Novices and Addicts - May 2013, 3 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Hi everyone – Another lost day yesterday what with medical appointments and shopping but the good thing is it's all done now and I can get back into the garden today, hopefully to just “dead leaf” all of the burgundy leafed Aechmeas and that will be another job I can then cross of a very long list.

Jean – I don't know if anyone on here can shed any light on what “Elmore List” means but if you can give me the name of a plant where this is written on the BCR I'm sure I can find out what it all means (for all of us).

You mention the FCBS site so let me explain a little about what I have been told about it. Going back a few years now when the BCR was only available on line as a printed list of names, the FCBS started up a Photo Index. I say the FCBS but it was mainly a very dedicated member from the FCBS who did all of the work and (I think) Michael Andreas was his name and he compiled this great Photo Index of brom hybrids and species.

I have been told that because the BCR didn't have a photo index at that time, each time a new hybrid was registered the photo's were sent from the BCR to the FCBS for inclusion on the photo index. This is why the registration details are listed on a lot of the FCBS pictures. When the BCR finally started its own Photo Index, it no longer forwarded the pic's to the FCBS and this is why now a lot of the newer hybrids are only shown if the hybridiser sends their pic's to the FCBS.

The BCR is the official international registry of new hybrids, however there are still a lot on the FCBS that aren't shown on the BCR so it pays to check out both sites. Also, the BCR only lists hybrids and not species, to check these you need to check the FCBS.

As for other sites that list brom's and descriptions, yes there are others but the BCR and the FCBC are probably the biggest ones. There is an Australian site I use as well which can be found at:
http://www.bromeliad.org.au/

As for other sites, if you Google “bromeliad photo indices” I'm sure you'll probably find some more.

Regarding Neo. 'Monstrosum Hatschbachii', it is now registered as just Neo.'Monstrosus'. You have solved a problem for me as well Jean, as I got a plant via a swap from a grower in Queensland a couple of years ago; it was named as Neo. 'Monstrous' which I imagined was because of its large size; however it now turns out that my plant is also Neo. 'Monstrosus'.

Breeindy – How big is Neo. 'Moon Over Fort Dix', it looks very similar in colour to one of its parents (Hannibal Lector) but is it the same size?

Shirley – I grow all of my dark leaved Aechmeas on the “shadier” side of the “low light shade house” I use for my Vrieseas and Guzmanias. I call it the low light shade house as it's built off the southern side of the house and was originally built for ferns because it's always shady. The dark-leaved Aechmeas are hanging close to the house wall where they get very low light and also protection by the wall of the house from the cold weather. I find I get better dark colour here than in my Neo. shade house.

Trish – Chocolate Red Wine? Sounds like a good way to bugger up a good red!

Trish, you say it's cold at 13 degrees up there, gee when it's 13 degrees down here I'm just thinking about putting on a shirt over my work singlet, so I don't think you'd survive down here very well at all. Just for the record, a very good remedy for cramps is a capsule called “Crampeze” which is available from all chemists or on line. I was having terrible cramps and waking up many times throughout the night and I tried lots of thing to no avail but after taking these for just two nights the cramps stopped and since taking just one each night, they've never returned. The main ingredient is Magnesium and I can certainly recommend them to anyone with this problem. You can read more about them and what they contain at:
http://www.pharmacyonline.com.au/crampeze-forte-night-cramps...

That's it for another day and the pic's today once again from files, Pic.1 is Bill. 'Domingos Ladd', Pic.2 Nid. 'Campos-Portoi', Pic.3 An attractive Tillandsia flower I took at the show but don't know it's name, Pic 4 is a much under rated Neo. in my opinion Neo. 'Dark Rose Blush', Pic 5 is Guzmania 'Lingulata', this is a species and was interestingly the first brom ever to be brought into Europe in 1776.

All the best, Nev.