Jim Irvin has a knack with Cryptanthus, (as well as other bromeliads!), and has produced numerous first-class hybrids.  This is one of which he can be proud.  This hybrid, a cultivar of ‘Sweet Tooth’ x ‘Ice Age,’ and a grex mate to ‘Very Cold Tooth,’ is a dark brown, almost black plant with closely spaced cross banding of silver trichomes with dense silver white scurf underneath.  The inch-wide leaves are long and graceful, undulating at the margins in a symmetrical rosette.

*VIPP plants are Offsets

A Jim Irvin hybrid introduced in 1991 is the prodigy of Cryptanthus ‘Cloudcover’ crossed with Cryptanthus ‘Ocean Mist.’  Owing to its ancestry, this plant has the crisped edges and long graceful leaves fixed in a symmetrical rosette as Cryptanthus zonatus.  The one-inch wide dark brown pink leaves are marked with a cross banding of an undulating flame-stitch pattern of snow-white trichomes.  As the plant matures, it loses its scurfing, darkening to a brown-red as its pink offsets emerge dusted with snow-white trichomes.  The beautiful hybrid matures out to a 6-inch height with a 14-inch diameter.

This Jim Irvin hybrid is one of three cultivars of Cryptanthus ‘Kamehameha’ x zonatus ‘Silver,’ its siblings being ‘Circuit Breaker’ and ‘High Voltage.’ A large growing oval-shaped plant having flat, milk chocolate, lanceolate leaves with medium silver scurf extending the leaf length including similar unscurfed bars with dense silver crossbanding mostly across the leaf in varying densities along the leaf length. As the plant matures and ages, the barring disappears and becomes even along its length. The undersides of the leaves are dense with silver-white scurf.

This Carole Richtmyer hybrid, a cultivar of Cryptanthus ‘Rita Padden’ x argyrophyllus, has 10+ ovate leaves forming a medium plant to 12″ in diameter with a full round form.  The dull green copper brown leaves are full and very wide with fine lineated scurf on the undersides.

***For best results, we recommend growing this particular cultivar in a dirty Turface® mix, equal parts peat based potting mix and Turface® All Sport.  Fill the bottom of your pot with a shallow layer of potting mix, this prevents the Turface® mix from running out the bottom of your pot, and the remainder with the dirty Turface® mix.

A Larry Giroux hybrid of Cryptanthus 'Seven Veils' x 'Cinderella' having a mature rosette to 12 inches in diameter.  The dark maroon undulating leaves with rosy blotches and streaks have some fine dark stripes running length-wise.  The foliage reverse is green-based, but heavily-scurfed silver.

*SLIGHT DAMAGE ON LEAVES. HEALTHY PLANT

Image by Larry Giroux from the BSI Bromeliad Cultivar Register

This Jim Irvin hybrid is one of two cultivars of ‘Melanie’ x zonatus ‘Silver,’ the other being ‘Marathon,’ having 10+ lanceolate leaves forming a large plant to 27″ in diameter with an open round shape.  Chestnut red, the midrib and across the leaf can be blotched with olive green in lower light, with wavy banding the entire length and edge to edge.  The underside has heavy white scurf.

A large growing Cryptanthus hybrid by Carole Richtmyer is a cultivar of (‘Nancy’ x ‘Peaches’) x argyrophyllus.  This Cryptanthus has 10+ very thick succulent lanceolate leaves forming a medium plant to 18″ in diameter with an open, rounded rosette shape.   This plant can attain larger sizes, over 24", in more shade.

The color of the leaves is pink to rosy pink changing to old gold or olive green with age and stronger light with dark grey edges and light scurf covering the entire leaf, both the face and back.  A exceptionally nice plant!

*VIPP plants are Offsets

This Ed Edmiston hybrid is a cultivar of ‘Jet Age’ x lacerdae ‘Menescal’ having 10+ lanceolate leaves forming a medium plant to 12″ in diameter with a full round, open, flat rosette.  The plants are larger than Cryptanthus lacerdae ‘Menescal,’ but lacks the long stolons.  The light chocolate background leaf color is marked with silvery grey central and marginal longitudinal stripes.  The bottom of the leaf is covered in a medium dense lineated white scurf.

*VIPP plants are Offsets

This is a 2007 cultivar of ‘Durrell’ x ‘San Juan’ by Stephen Hoppin.  The shape is a loose rosette up to 10 inches tall and 24 inches across with shiny green leaves that are wavy with serrated edges.  The leaves have an olive green color that has a hint of bronze along the edge and slight scurfing on the underside of the leaves.

*VIPP plants are Offsets

Stephen Hoppin created this wonderful Cryptanthus, a cultivar of his cross of ‘Ebony Beauty’ x ‘Roseus.‘  A large grower with rich, shiny dark brown leaves that have bright bands of silver running up their length.  This is not your typical windowsill Cryptanthus unless you have a big windowsill, it can reach 24 inches across!  Like most Cryptanthus it has white flowers.

A large growing beauty by Stephen Hoppin can grow to a 24 inch rosette. The color is black to dark chocolate brown, glossy with wavy, silvery cross bands. Some silver shading in the leaves. Leaf tips turn downward. 'Ebony Beauty' x (x Roseus)