Please help ID these bromeliads

My sister, Connie and I went to Betty Bloomers the other day and I found several new bromeliads. I don't have any idea of the names of these but would like to add them to my journal here with proper ID's.

I've always been a big bromeliad fan. Have had some that my oldest sister gave me 16 years ago when we moved into this house. Started out as 1 and now there are many. I have attached some of them to deadwood trees over the years. I'm about to do the same with some wispy ones I bought the other day.

Here is the first one.

This bromeliad is about 8 inches tall from the dirt to the tip of the plant on the top. The leaves are coated with what looks like white turbanado sugar.

Can I cut that plant off the top to add to my upandcoming bromeliad tree?

Thanks for any help on the IDs.

Janet

There is a close up shot of the top plant later in in this thread.

This message was edited Aug 15, 2006 12:57 PM

OK, on to plant number 2...

This plant is bigger than number 1. As you can see the leaves are green/pink and white. I don't see any blooms yet on this one, or any pups.... but I'm hopeful.

Janet

edited to add: The overall plant is about 6 inches high and 12 inches in diameter.

This message was edited Aug 15, 2006 12:31 PM

OK, here's number 3...

This one is absolutely beautiful with that showy bloom. It has 2 pups that I moved to a separate pot (next photo) when I potted this one. It's about 12 inches high and about 12 inches in diameter.

Here are the pups from number 3.

1 big one and 1 small one.

Here they are sitting beside each other.

OK, here's # 4, which I almost forgot.

This little bucket of "wisps" will be the stars of my bromeliad tree, when it cools down just a tad out back. The humidity here is a killer this month. BTW,I'm putting sphagnum moss on the top of the dirt that each is planted in to keep in the moisture. Is that good or bad?

I've been searching for several years for some of these wispy bromeliads. They've been very scarce.

Here's a close-up of the plant on the top of Number 1.

The day we went, I spent a total of $22. and that included several other plants and a big humongous coleus. I was tickled to death to get these bromeliads so reasonably. They are always really high at the nurseries and HD and Lowe's.

Janet

ps Thanks again for any help in IDing these guys.

OK, while I have your attention, I might as well ask about a few others I have, even though they weren't bought at the same time.

Number 5 is a bromeliad I brought home from my sister's memorial service a few months ago.

Close up of the bloom of Number 5

This is Number 6....

A neighbor gave us a big pot of these a few years ago. They've bloomed pretty well.

This message was edited Aug 15, 2006 12:46 PM

Close up of blooms on number 6

Well let's see...
#1 is an Orthophytum - not sure which one (you can propagate the plantlets on the spike)
#2 is a Neoregelia - perhaps a carolinae tricolor hybrid
#3 is a Nidularium - not sure which one (grow in relatively low light)
#4 is a Tillandsia - maybe fasciculata since it's common - if so it gets large for a Tillandsia
#5 is a Guzmania hybrid - too many to really know which one
#6 is a Billbergia - perhaps nutans or one if its hybrids

It's difficult to be more specific without knowing the culture with they were grown. And there are so many hybrids (especially Guzmanias and Neoregelias) that the picture is further clouded.

Just enjoy them!
Dave.

Thanks so much for your info. I'll be sure to add that to my journal so I don't forget. I had no idea there were so MANY different bromeliads.... until I came to DG.

Janet

Dave, yu da man on Bromeliads..........yu and Giancarlo are pros for sure. Glad both of you are online here. :-)

Beautiful plants !

Thanks Violet. I'm enjoying them.

Janet

Your wel-come I love the red one your Number 5

Thanks Violet. I love that one too. It's special to me for several reasons. First, it was a plant from my sister, Diana's Memorial Service the middle of June.

My very first bromeliad, from about 16 years ago when we moved in this house, came from Diana. I still have many of those today, and get pups from them each year. So you can see why that bromeliad is so special to me. It reminds me every day of my sister. She had Multiple Sclerosis and was diagnosed 16 years ago, right after we moved in here. Diana would have absolutely loved that red bromeliad. :-)

Second, here it is, 4 months, as of tomorrow, and it's still got that same bloom on it. Not quite as lovely, but there just the same. I've never known a bloom on a bromeliad to last that long. I'm sure that the fella that sent that plant spent a whole lot of money on it. I've gotten several pups from it and started new pots of it. I've taken many photos of the plant and each one is as pretty as the next one. Third, the rest of my bromeliads have pink blooms, so that one really stands out from the bunch. I just love that color of red.

Janet

This message was edited Oct 14, 2006 6:29 PM

I apologize. That wasn't the photo I had planned on including with that post.

Here is another shot of that bloom.

Sorry about your sister Diana I understand I have ALS ( Lou Gehrigs)
I know Diana is looking down and enjoying this gorgous red Brom with you and she is so please you have it and cherish it. It's a stunning plant ! Thanks for sharing !

Our Aechmea fasciata bloom up to ten months for us !

That is beautiful! It reminds me of the ones I see in the mall.... on those few times I visit the mall. I always wondered how they kept them blooming so long. No wonder they use those in their displays.

Thanks for sharing.

I'm sure Diana is watching. She battled many years with that disease. She won the battle because she now has a brand new body and is once again the beautiful lady she always was.

I'll remember you in my prayers Violet.

Janet