Australian and New Zealand Gardening: Bromeliads for novices and Addicts - Dec 2012, 4 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Hi everyone – I hope everyone's well, especially those who have been on the sick list like Colleen (I hope your back is well and truly on the mend) and Sue (I hope you've shaken that summer bug off and are on the mend also)

It looks like this computer is getting ready to “spit the dummy” once again as yesterday when I sent off my post, the last one posted was from Bree, but this morning I see there was also one after that posted by Trish. So, sorry I didn't respond to you Trish, but the last time I looked your post wasn't there. I'll never understand this computer, sometimes I think it's human and has changes of moods from time to time.

Trish – At this stage I'll just mention an observation that may be of interest to all you “budding hybridisers”; it's in relation to your first picture, Neo 'Scandal'. As you say the parentage is given as (carolinae x sapiatibensis) but also, the seed parent is Neo. Sapiatibensis (a species).

It's interesting to see that Chester Skotak has used a species (sapiatibensis) as the pollen parent and it is also one of the parents of the seed parent, so there is a “double dose” of species genes in that particular cross. From what I have picked up over the short time I have been studying breeding patterns with the “top hybridisers” it seems to me that all of the good hybridisers such as Chester Skotak and Grace Goode to mention just two, often introduce a species into the breeding pedigree every so often to put some strength and vigor back into the breeding line, so probably a good lesson to be learned here.

Trish you're quite right, I love pic's 2 and 3 but I hope that little Wallaby is on the other side of the fence to the brom's otherwise he might start eating them for lunch. I never cease to be amazed at the brilliant colours of the little Sunbirds and their close relations the Hummingbirds the majority of which come from Central and South America; and no matter what colour the bib around their neck is, it always seems to take on that glistening metallic type of shine.

Shirley – I love your little mini Neo's, especially the variegated one. I was like Bree once and didn't like them either but they have gradually grown on me (not really but you know what I mean) and I have now accumulated quite a good little collection although they're mostly all only pups at this stage. They do have some advantages in that they aren't heavy to move around and most importantly, they don't take up a lot of space, although there are some that are a bit larger than most see (Pic 1).

Wendy – School days, what memories they bring back, I loved primary school as we had wonderful teachers but high school was a different story altogether. We had one teacher there who was a real “mongrel” and unfortunately I managed to get on his wrong side the first time we ever had him and he made high school life a real misery for myself and a couple of other close friends and I couldn't leave soon enough.

What you say about hand feeding the Magpies and Butcher Birds reminds me of what happened here this morning when one of our daily visiting Kookaburras finally took some food from my hand. He had been getting closer each day but always seemed to hesitate at the last minute. He brought one of the “kids” with him this morning as well and he looked like the feathers top of his head were all soft and sticking up like a “crew cut”, but boy could eat, I though his Dad would be exhausted flying back and forth to get food for him.

Your Pic 2 puzzles me a bit with the name of Neo. 'Purple Concentrica', I've never seen it before nor is it on the BCR or the FCBS registers, but the main thing that doesn't ring true is the absence of any of the semi-concentric markings on the foliage which all genuine Neo. Concentricas should have, after all that's where the name comes from. Even the pic of your Neo 'Fury' still shows faint traces of these semi-concentric markings if you study it closely and that is after Neo. Concentrica was used in its breeding line two generations back. I think 'Purple Concentrica' is just a “pet name” someone has given it, and although a nice plant, it's hardly purple and more into the pink tones if the picture colour is accurate.

Your pic's 4 and 5 of Neo. 'Strawberry' x 'Little Africa' show how this plant has inherited the nice wide leaves of Mandela which was a parent of 'Africa' and 'Little Africa' however it seems the Neo. 'Strawberry' influence has diluted the colour to that unusual chocolaty colour in the centre. This plant too displays faint semi-concentric markings which tend to indicate that Neo. Concentrica was used somewhere back in its past breeding as well, but unfortunately a few of the past parents have nothing recorded of their ancestors to support this theory.

Sue – What can I say, here I was feeling sorry for you and you were in Fiji living it up all the time. At least you're now back and all refreshed to tackle all the work that's mounted up while you were away. Incidently, there was one good thing came out of my scald; it was so bloody sore I couldn't feel all the other aches and pains!

Time to go and a few pic's to finish with Pic.1 (not my plant unfortunately) but is a mini Neo. 'Mimi Skirt' (just to show what is possible with this plant), Pic 2 is Neo. 'Serendipity Girl' x 'Concentrica', Pic 3 is Neo 'Royal Cordovan', Pic 4 Neo 'Rosatina' x 'Concentrica' (about 3 feet across) and Pic 5 is a “Sunbird Hybrid”; and by this I mean it's from seed I got from that same lady that Trish bought her plants from in Far North Queensland. The seed parent was Neo. 'Blue Nude' and the pollen parent's name is only known to the Sunbirds who pollinated it. I think it has some possibilities though as it has nice wide, fat leaves and it hopefully will mature into something half decent.

All the best, Nev.