A nice and different clone collected by Harry Luther on a 1987 Selby expedition to Panama with Libby Besse, Joe Halton and John Kress. The plant was found in Bocas del Toro in the vicinity of Chiriqui Grande at about sea level (SEL87-0233A). A stiff leaved plant, more open in shape than some other forms, with silver banding on the leaf undersides and heavy speckling on the upper sides when grown bright. The inflorescence is short, semi-erect with crimson bracts and yellow sepals and petals. Stoloniferous in habit, it grows to about 15 inches tall. A piece of bromeliad history!
Formerly known as Tillandsia cyanea variegated. A once very rare form with beautifully white striped leaves. The inflorescence is the same as a the typical form, bright pink with large, fragrant purple flowers. Has been around for a while in some private collections, but is still not often seen for sale.
This species is similar in some ways to Til. gurreroensis, but is smaller, with larger, almost fuzzy, trichomes. The inflorescence is simple, a pink spike with deep blue flowers. (The photo is lighter than actual) Discovered by Renate Ehlers, and named by her for her husband and collecting partner, Klaus. A rare gem.
An as yet unnamed cross of Neoregelia ‘Rio Ocher’ x olens ‘Vulcan’ is an apple green plant with a vivid red center flush at anthesis. The inch and a half wide leaves are somewhat thick and leathery and the marginal spines are small. It develops some red cross-banding on the leaves which become more pronounced with strong light or when grown “harder”. Offsets are on short stolons and the plant is good for mounting and for terrarium use.
A small to medium sized Brazilian species with upright growth on short stolons and narrow leaves, green at the tips, getting increasingly reddish towards the base. The base of the leaves are very dark. The inflorescence is oversized, tall and very branchy, bright red with large yellow flowers. A very showy species and easy to cultivate. Suitable for use in terrariums.
Sponge rock, also known by the name expanded perlite, is a very common ingredient in orchid mixes. Sponge rock decreases compaction of mix, increases aeration and retains moisture.
A nice form of this variable species which was collected by Berg and Anderson in Brazil. This form has stiff leaves, an upright, tubular shape, and the classic ’thumb-print’. The leaves are gray-green with silvery bands and the inflorescence is a compact cone with yellow flowers and bright red bracts.
A nice form of the somewhat variable Tillandsia funckiana, this clone from near Lagunillas, Merida, Venezuela. A plant that came to us from the collection of the Marie Selby Botanical gardens with their accession number of SEL 1975-0090. A silvery plant with nicely upright stems and very slender, silvery leaves that recurve slightly upward. Not much of a blush at anthesis, but the leaves can tint slightly pink in good light.
We have been growing this plant for years under the name of cf. cylindrata, (white) but we are not at all certain of the name. The “cf.” means “compares favorably” or “similar to”, though to us, it looks a bit more like gamosepala than cylindrata. At any rate it is an all white form with no pigmentation in the inflorescence. A proven hardy plant to near freezing without damage, it is also prolific and forms a nice clump in a fairly short time. The leaves are gray-green and form an upright rosette.
From Argentina, grows as a saxicole on exposed rock or epiphytically in scrubby thorn bush, almost always forming large clusters. This caulescent species has a rigid stem and short, stiff leaves, all a dark grayish color, and bears large and very fragrant, white flowers.
A notably easy species to cultivate, tolerating a variety of conditions and light levels. Prefers to be kept bright, airy and on the dry side
A spectacular species from Ecuador and Peru that reaches an impressive size. Plants over 3 feet across and 6 feet tall in bloom are not uncommon. A rosette of stiff, thick, silvery-scurfy leaves tapering to a point support an inflorescence of massive size, with many branches lavender and green.
Can be grown potted, mounted, bare-root, or used in landscape. Younger plants produce a profusion of adventitious offsets from their base.
THIS PLANT IS ON C.I.T.E.S. AND CANNOT BE EXPORTED
We are not sure what this species is. It bears resemblance to R. teres v. capiliformis but is less pendant, more bush-like and very branchy. The foliage blushes pinkish in good light. Flowers are white, followed by pink berries.
