Well, I went to the USF Spring Plant Festival and I ran immediately to the Bromeliad Guild. After that, it was off to the FL West Coast Bromeliad Society. Here's some of the new friends I brought home:
Quesnelia quesneliana - As I carted this one around everyone had to comment on it. It was only $10! But there were only two, and one was sold when I got there. Early bird gets the bromeliad!
Aechmea pineliana
Neo. "Catherine Wilson"
Neo "Midnight" I love this one. I have a weakness for the really dark ones.
Here's a closeup of Midnight
Neo "Autumn Leaves"
Neomea "Popcorn" - gotta love those bigenerics
Orthophytum "Starlights" - my first one of this genera!
Canistropsis billbergioides x microps - first one of these too!
Aechmea "Bittersweet" - I'm a sucker for the aechmeas
Dyckia "Espirito x Brittle Star" - another first, I kept meaning to get a dyckia, but it just hadn't happened
Here's the bloom on the dyckia, hovering above the other bromeliads
Here's bromelia pinguin. Normally, I would stay away from a plant like this unless you really love bromeliads. Personally, I want my garden to represent as many genera as possible, so I picked this one up - and it drew first blood. I can hardly find a place to pick this thing up without being stabbed; it is so spiky. Tomorrow, I'll be heading down to Sarasota to attend the bromeliad show at Selby gardens, as well as make a visit to Michael's Bromeliads. So expect more pictures soon!
A very nice haul, especially the Dyckia Brittle Star (IMHO). It usually commands a high price.
Canistropsis used to be a part of Nidularium until fairly recently.
I've got three Bromelia seedlings in the GH that are one day going to find new homes. They spectacular in bloom but very large, and very "bad" in the spinal category. At least you can leave it undisturbed outdoors. In the tropics, Bromelias are actually used as hedges - and very effective they are.
Dave.
