Got it from the Bromeliad Society (?) in Gainsville, Fl. at the Kapapaha Botanical Gardens fall festival.
http://www.kanapaha.org/
Anyone have a name for this beauty?
Here's another
...
I think bromeliad alcantarea. Really the finest looking plants. Do a google search. Our plant files have only 2.
Johanna
thanks Flicker
http://www.triadplantco.com/listplants-details.php?type=Bromeliads
GREAT! Now I'm hooked on Broms
It was March 23, 2009 when I bought it, that's how long this thing has been blooming. So do I wait until the mother dies and then seperate the babies from the root? I tried taking a baby last month and I don't think it survived.
Unfortunately, I have little experience with bromeliads in general. I grow dyckias, a terrestrial bromeliad from South America.
Florida has a brom society. Their site has lots of info. I am sure you can get help there. I have seen alcantereas like yours for sale for $100. It would be worth your time to do a little research to see how to keep the pups alive.
Beautiful plant!
Johanna
http://www.gardenfestival.org/sgfmap/cid/1?page=3&sort=asc&order=Exhibitor
The fall festival is this weekend, I'll take a picture with me. (that's where I bought the plant) I also wrote a Dr. Frank at UF who's with the Bromeliad Society in Gainesville. Maybe he will know by just looking at it.
Long story short, a member of the Bromeliad Society found out about this little beauty and here is what she said:
The plant is unnamed except for the parentage.
It is: Guzmania conifera x lingulata cv fortuna. The hybridizers chose
not to give it a name since they are not going to market the plant. It
is not commercially viable because it matures too slowly. It is a
hybrid from the DeRoose Nursery in Apopka. And it certainly is an
especially nice plant.
An interesing fact about this plants parents is that the first Lingulata
Cv. Fortuna sold at one of the World Bromeliad Conferences for quite a
few thousands of dollars. Not sure of the exact price -- possibly about
6-8 thousand.
pretty cool heh?
Great!!
I would love to know as much about some of my own favorite plants. You have a special bromiliad. I wonder how the pups will look. It may take a while but one day there will be pups.
Maybe that nursery has a site. Check it out.
Johanna
I'd be a bit skeptical about a definite ID. I was present when the plant was auctioned off and it did go for several thousand $. You have to know that the rare plant auction at the World Bromeliad Conference is always held after a session of alcohol consumption and that the bidders are often motivated by several factors:
1. I want it
2. I don't want xyz to have it
3. All procedes of the auction go to the Bromeliad Identification Center at Selby Gardens in Sarasota.
I believe that plant was either discovered by or inspired Chester Skotak, a very well known Bromeliad guy now living in Costa Rica to try and find it in the wild. He has produced many great hybrids including some commercial pineapple varities. He has also written a book "Searching for Miss Fortuna" which is about collecting in the wild - the reference is in fact to the name of this plant.
By the way, the next World Bromeliad Conference will be held next Summer in New Orleans. You will never see more reasonably priced plants for sale than in the member's sale room. Go to www.bsi.org if you're interested.
Dave
Thank you Dave. That's very interesting info. And the friend that received the plant from me also has a love for New Orleans. Maybe I can talk her into a trip there.
When I first started trying to find the name of this plant I didn't expect such an indepth search. This just amazes me to get this information on my very own thread in Dave's Garden.
DAVE'S GARDEN ROCKS!
and also the people who make it so!