A rare species named after Harry Luther, bromeliad researcher from the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, who passed away in 2012.  From the States of Bahia, Minas Gerais, and Espírito Santo where it lives among grasses with stiff, upright, narrow leaves that can reach 30 inches long.  Dark purplish-green to maroon red coloration extends up the bottom third of the leaf underside with a lighter center to the leaf, darker at the base.  The bloom head is slightly raised from the center and produces offsets only after flowering.

 

***For best results, we recommend growing this species 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.

This Carole Richtmyer hybrid is one of two cultivars of sinuosus x ‘Lirico,’ the other being ‘Pink Floyd,’ having 25+ elliptical lanceolate leaves forming a medium plant to 12″ in diameter with an open round shape.  The deep mottled red and green leaves have a covering of moderate scurf towards the bases and leaf tips.  It is easy to grow and very prolific.  It was recognized as the Best New Introduction of 1995.

An Ed Edmiston hybrid having 10+ lanceolate leaves forming a medium plant to 18" in diameter with an open round star shape.  The leaves are purple-brown in color with infrequent green color breaks and marked with the typical scurf pattern of Cryptanthus lacerdae.  The leaf edges are only lightly crisped and slightly roll out and down from the central margin.  The leaves arch up and out from the center curving down at the tips and only sometimes twisting to reveal the medium dense white scurf underneath.  A really spectacular plant especially when allowed to grow on for a season or two into a multi-headed specimen.

***  ONE OF A KIND  ***

This very rare and very unusual Cryptanthus rarely seen in cultivation, other than in botanical collections, is being offered from Tropiflora.

This Cryptanthus species was first discovered and collected by Elton M.C. Leme, Roberto Menescal, and Renato Bello on 15 May 1987 along Brasil 101 Road about 6km from the city of Serra in the County of Serra in Espírito Santo State Brazil.  First flowered in cultivation in May-June of 1990.  It was collected on a hill of about 200 meters high, situated about 30km from the city of Vitoria and 15km from the Atlantic Ocean, where a somewhat dry shrubby vegetation predominates.  It grows terrestrially under the partial protection of shade trees, in very small spreading populations.  At first glance its very rigid leather-like spreading leaves makes it different from all the previously known species of Cryptanthus.  Although it has a very unusual general appearance, this new species is very closely related to Cryptanthus maritimus and Cryptanthus incrassatus.  

This Ed Edmiston hybrid, registered by Terry Hardouin, is a cultivar of 'Peachy Keen' x 'Brimstone' and grex mate to 'Burgundy Blast' and 'Terry's Wild Heart.'  The plant matures to an open, round, large rosette to over 18 inches in diameter.  About 15 recurving, broad (2.5" wide), wavy, dark pink-red leaves, randomly mottled dark green with slight silver-scurfed cross-banding.  Rosette flattens at blooming.

A hybrid named by Ton Koning, a sport of Cryptanthus bivittatus 'Red Star.'

 

*VIPP plants are Offsets

A Cryptanthus species originally found in Potiraguá from the southeastern region of the State of Bahia in Brazil.  The plant has many long narrow lanceolate leaves with a sunken midrib 1/4-inch wide forming a loose 16-inch diameter open rosette plant.  The leaves are bright celery green with small medium spaced spines the entire length with a wavy edge.  The offsets start appearing from the base before flowering and up towards the crown during and after flowering.

A Cryptanthus species found in the Atlantic Rain forest in Brazil found near Rio de Janeiro  and north up the coast.  The plant has a full round rosette of leaves maturing up to 12-inches in diameter.  The deep purple leaves are lance-shaped with crisped undulating margins, slightly recurving, and twisted revealing the medium dense lineated scurf of the trichomes on the undersides.  The dusting of trichomes on the upper surface of the leaves lightens the deep purple color giving rise to the more light purple-lavender color seen when the leaves are dry.  The flowers are especially interesting when seen, because they are white tipped in pink.

*Offsets available

This Lisa Vinzant hybrid, a cultivar of 'Madame Ganna Walska' x unknown pollen donor, up to 30-inch diameter