THIS PLANT IS ON C.I.T.E.S. AND CANNOT BE EXPORTED

Aloe 'Christmas Carol' is a hybrid by Kelly Griffin. A small growing plant with green fleshy leaves. The leaf edges have bright red orange spines. There are raised spots of red orange on the leaves.

This plant is an apparent natural hybrid but we are reasonably certain that it is a cross of (riohondoensis x ionantha) that came in with a shipment of the former from Guatemala some years ago. We have been propagating it ever since. The plant has many narrow, velvety leaves in an upright vase shaped rosette. It can grow to over ten inches tall and wide with leaves about a half inch wide tapering to a point. The inflorescence is a capitate head of very tight branches on a short scape bearing long leaf-like bracts. The bracts blush pink at anthesis along with the upper whorl of leaves.

Overall the plant is silvery with a heavy coating of trichomes. The leaves are soft and graceful. We are naming this plant in honor of our dear friend Ruby Ryde of Australia. An avid bromeliad collector of many years with her late husband Keith and who has for years faithfully sent us a beautiful calendar of Australian nature each December. She is our ‘Calendar Girl’ and we are proud to have her as our friend!

Like Tillandsia 'Victoria' with the brachycaulos x ionantha parentage, only BIGGER.

A Jim Irvin hybrid of ‘Orange Delight’ x olens. Forming a compact rosette to about 8 inches across, it takes on a glowing orange-red color with a red center flush at anthesis. Short stolons lets it form attractive clumps.

*VIPP plants are Offsets

One of the more unusual of all Tillandsias because of its habit of producing offsets all along its three foot long inflorescence, as well as in the more usual manner. A handsome plant with rather stiff leaves arranged in a more open rosette. This form of flexuosa is apparently native only to Venezuela, with two major colonies of slightly different plants. One colony occurs on the north coast where it often grows in large numbers in shrubs, trees and cacti on the seaside cliffs. Large clusters of these plants weigh down the limbs of the local scrub-type vegetation, often breaking loose and falling into the sea.

The other colony is in the Andes, near Merida, where it grows mainly in large clusters on the ground and in some low shrubbery. This form has thicker leaves and is larger and more open in shape. An easy to grow species that thrives mounted in a warm environment. 

Ben Sill’s unusual bigeneric hybrid is a cultivar of Billbergia decora x Aechmea recurvata. A rather small grower to about 14 inches tall with a slightly bulbous base and upright, flaring growth of channeled, tapering leaves. The color is light green with faint reddish mottling, and a grayish wash on the leaf undersides. Marginal spines are moderate. The inflorescence can be completely hidden in the center or slightly exerted, with pink bracts and blue flowers. An easy plant to cultivate.

*VIPP plants are Offsets

A nice form of nudicaulis that Wally Berg brought back from a Brazil trip some years ago. We do not know the exact type, though it looks a lot like capitata in general shape. A stout, wide leaved, tubular rosette with stiff green to yellowish leaves with a slight red marginal blush, red apiculate tips and prominent black spines.

The plants have the typical ‘thumb print’ of the species and produce offsets of short, stout stolons. A decorative plant for mounting or for a hanging basket.

*VIPP plants are Offsets

A hybrid of (fasciculata x ionantha) made by the late Luis Ariza, well known bromeliad hybridist from the Dominican Republic. This same cross is also known as nidus and ’Fortin Jalapa’ as it has both been crossed by others and is often found occurring naturally wherever both parent species live together. This one was allegedly made with one of the small growing clones of fasciculata native to the D.R. 

A nice plant that resembles a small N. cruenta in shape and coloration. Stiff, light green leaves with red tips form 8 to 10 inch funnel form rosettes on short stolons. A ‘thumb print’ marks the base of the leaf.

*VIPP plants are Offsets - NOT the mature plant in the photo

One of Grace Goode's miniature hybrids. Discolor leaves with green on top and a lavender red underside. In strong filtered light red mottling will develop in the leaves. A good plant for hanging pot culture.

A small growing Aechema recurvata hybrid by Lisa Vinzant. Olive green with dark leaf tips that turn blue with age. Produces a short inflorescence of pink. Matures at 10 inches tall. Grows best in bright filtered light.

*VIPP plants are Offsets

Native to the dry woods and scrub of northwest Mexico.

*Plants budded as of 5/30/2025