This plant was acquired as a pink clone of A. sagittifolius but appears to be a different species. We thought it was simply a different flower color for Abelmoschus sagittifolius, but when it leafed out, we realized we had a different species. The leaves start off with a soft serrated orbicular appearance, then as the stem progresses, the leaves begin to morph into a trilobed leaf as evidenced in the photo. Very strange!

A Mark Dimmitt hybrid that has a similar appearance to the 'Harry Potter' hybrid adenium. These plants are of flowering size and ready to be moved up to a larger pot.

PERFECT STARTER FOR A BONSAI PROJECT

One of the ‘black’ Aechmea hybrids that is actually deep burgundy colored. Glossy leaves are slightly banded with powdery gray. The inflorescence is semi-pendant, with a cluster of orange berry-like flowers with dark blue petals.

Leaves that are blacker than black (for a plant). A graceful rosette that starts out upright then as the inch wide leaves lengthen, arch over, forming a wide rosette. The inflorescence is a handsome pendant spike of red berries and blue flowers.

A rare large species from Bahia, Brazil that has an upright vase shape to about 30 inches tall, with wide, stiff and very spiny leaves.  The most outstanding character is that it takes on a red coloration from the leaf tips downward to about half the leaf as it matures.  The remainder of the leaf is light green. 

Does not bloom often and there is sometimes a bit of confusion with this species and similar Hohenbergia castellanosii, a larger plant with wider leaves and larger spines. Although the coloration is similar, the Hohenbergia has a ‘bloom’ or light veneer of a waxy powder over the leaf surfaces.  Aechmea ampla is glabrous or glossy. 

Of course, the surest way to tell is by the bloom, if you are lucky to see one!  Aechmea ampla has a laxly, bipinately branched green spike with very long branches and short sub branches bearing green sepals with pink flowers.

An interesting and attractive plant about 18 to 24 inches tall in an upright rosette, with pale green leaves and a pink inflorescence with white flowers. The shape of the inflorescence resembles that of a typical form of blue-flowered gamosepala, but in every way it is larger. A rarely seen form that is both beautiful and easy to grow.

A cultivar of recurvata, probably var. benrathii, with very dark, almost black, bases.  A clump forming plant that stays at about six inches tall or less.

A bromeliad, rare in cultivation, native to the Guyana Shield formation of Suriname where it grows as a lithophyte on granite in the vicinity of Voltzberg.  Originally described as a species by L.B. Smith, it is now recognized as a natural hybrid of Aechmea aquilega and Aechmea moonenii.  A large grower with spiny, strap-like leaves of bronzy-green form an upright rosette to over three feet tall.  

The inflorescence is nodding, with yellow branches in a loose cluster, and long pinkish-red scape bracts.  The flowers are deep yellow-orange.  

Our plants originated from a field collection by Moonen and came to us from the collection of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (SEL2006-0109).

Not really imperialis or brasiliana, but a new species that will be called mucugensis.