Bromeliad Society of Victoria Inc. VOL 33 NO 4 August – September 2016

The August General Meeting will be held on Wednesday

24th August, in the Multi-purpose Room at Phoenix Park.

Details Page 5

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CONTENTS 2016 Calendar of Events ................................................................................................2

Editorial ..........................................................................................................................3

BSV President’s Report ..................................................................................................4

September Field Day ......................................................................................................5

General Meetings...........................................................................................................6

Report of the June General Meeting .............................................................................7

Fees For 2016 .................................................................................................................8

The BSV Is Turning Fifty .................................................................................................9

Broms at Wellington Botanic Garden, NZ ......................................................................9

Discussion Group Meetings .........................................................................................10

New Plant Import Restrictions .....................................................................................11

Notes on the polymorphic Tillandsia xiphioides Ker Gawler .......................................13

Subscriptions ................................................................................................................20

2016 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 24 August General Meeting- Eric Van Zuilekom, Ecuador 25 September Field Day – Jo Wilkins, Troposphere 26 October General Meeting 12-13 November BSV Annual Show 14 December Christmas General Meeting FRONT COVER:

Neoregelia ‘Lorena’, Bruce Lee

photo by Jill Abbott

BSV Inc. Contacts MAIL PO Box 101, Darling VIC 3145 FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/groups/198663673628029/ WEBSITE http://bromeliad.org.au/ then, CLUB NEWS, Victoria

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EDITORIAL As winter draws to a close, (it is Sprinter now) it is pleasant to spend more time in the garden. Thankfully, most of my broms seem to have survived our colder than usual winter. But sadly, not Aechmea chantinii. I will be looking out for more casualties as the plants put on their spring growth.

Don’t forget to check out the broms that you will be putting in the November Show for competition or for sales. Details of show categories, and conditions, will be in the October newsletter.

Please note that to compete, or sell at our Show, you must have been a financial member for at least three months. This means that you must be financial from the date of the August meeting.

Don’t forget to send me your contributions for ‘From a Member’s Garden’, and any other articles, large or small, to share with BSV members.

Happy growing,

Jill

FOREST DRIVE NURSERY

Located at REPTON, South of

Coffs Harbour. SPECIES AND VARIETIES

All quality plants at reasonable prices Plants for all level of collection.

Beautiful TILLANDSIA, VRIESEAS, NEOREGELIAS,

AECHMEAS ETC. Visitors Welcome, but phone first

(02) 6655 4130 A.H.

For mail order send S A E: PO Box 2

Bonville, NSW, 2441

Prop. Peter Tristram www.bromeliads.com.au

MIDHURST BROMELIAD

NURSERY

Specialist Growers of Tillandsia

Seedlings and other Genera

Hard grown to suit all Australian

conditions.

Wholesale and mail order only.

Write for price lists of Tillandsia

and other genera to:

P.O. Box 612

Hurstbridge, Vic 3099

Phone ( 03 ) 9718 2887

Email : midhurst@netspace.net.au

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BSV PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Hi Members,

It’s been a quiet winter this year as far as my presidential duties are concerned because we didn’t have a July field day and our monthly BSV Committee meeting for July was cancelled for several reasons; school holidays, absence of several committee members who had escaped Melbourne’s winter but mostly because it was too cold and damp to go out. We do seem to have had our fair share of rain and cold days this winter and I’ve been told by several members that this has caused the demise of a few of their bromeliads. No doubt there will be more casualties before the warm weather returns especially where the restarting of the growing season causes damaged cell structures to collapse but this can be minimised by ensuring that your plants aren’t sitting in water or are temporarily covered to encourage the majority of the rain to run off rather than fall on your plants.

Despite the cold weather I’m still seeing plenty of bromeliads in flower. I’ve noticed that the long hanging inflorescence of Bill. sanderiana is starting to poke it’s head over the leaves; I’ve got it growing in several trees and it provides a magnificent burst of colour in the garden. However, my favourite inflorescence at the moment is that of Ae. caesia (right). It’s only small but the deep blue flowers set against the pale pink sepals are simply stunning.

I think the cold weather kept the crowds away from the June General Meeting because it was a relatively quiet affair, which was a shame because we had two excellent presentations. Rob Mather provided some very down to earth advice on potting for beginners and Lloyd Godman enlightened us on the many ways that he has applied his knowledge of Tillandsias to his love of art. Lloyd’s presentation entitled ‘Explorations in Art with Bromeliads’ was a fascinating journey through the use of plants in his stunning visual creations. If you have the opportunity to view Lloyd’s book ‘Working with Plants’, it will provide you with an indication of what his talk was about.

The next field day will be held at the Jo Wilkins’ home ‘Troposphere’. As the name implies Jo has created a tropical garden in her Thornbury suburban home and although she doesn’t have a large inclusion of bromeliads at the moment she is looking to add more. Refer to the article below on the September field day. The next meeting is on 24 August and we have another outstanding speaker in attendance. Eric Van Zuilekom will be talking about and showing images of his trip to Ecuador. I look forward to seeing lots of plants on the display benches and sales tables plus don’t forget about something to share for supper. Bruce Lee

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SEPTEMBER FIELD DAY The next Field Day will be held at the home of Jo Wilkins in Thornbury. The property

is called ‘Troposphere’ and as the name suggests, Jo has developed a tropical

environment around her suburban home.

Jo has appeared on Gardening Australia and has made her garden available to the

Open Garden scheme so she is well used to having visitors admire her tropical

setting.

Jo has a strong interest in palms which make up much of her garden and she does

have some bromeliads but she is keen to add more and find out the best sort to grow

in Melbourne’s conditions. With that in mind we are planning an educational event.

Jo is keen to provide us with a talk about her garden and how it has been developed

and in return we can provide her with some hardy bromeliads to add to her garden

and advice on how to get the best out of them.

So if you have a tough, sun-hardy bromeliad or two that you wish to donate or swap

then please bring it along.

The details for the Field Day are:

Where: Thornbury.

When: Sunday, 02 October 2016

Time: 1:00pm to 4:00pm

Please BYO chair and some afternoon tea to share.

Bruce

Ed: Jo appeared on Gardening Australia on 19 May 2012.

This is a link to the episode that she appeared in.

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s3505252.htm

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GENERAL MEETINGS These are held at Phoenix Park Community Centre, Rob Roy Rd, Malvern East. Melway Ref. Map 69, D2. Meetings commence at 7:45 pm sharp. AVAILABLE AT EACH MEETING

At each meeting you may take advantage of the following: 1. Raffle. 2. A Bromeliad Book Library. 3. Members plant sales table. 4. Plant display and competition. 5. A section for your problem plants. Ask the experts what they think. 6. Books for sale. 7. Accessories for sale. 8. Lots of other interested growers to meet and chat with.

OFFICE BEARERS 2015-2016

Position Name President Bruce Lee Vice President Chris Larson Secretary Kerry Lusk Treasurer Chris Baker General committee Barry Robinson

Jill Abbott

Robert Mather

Len Murray

Mike Raymond

Non-committee Positions Membership Bev Leishman Secretary: Librarian: Gayle Kerr Plant Vote: Bev Leishman Raffles: Gary Lee Plant sales: Cheryl Johnston Supper Coordinator Jane Baker Patron: Maurice Kellett Life Members: Nance Esmore, Chris Larson, Jean Nicol, Len Summers Editor: Jill Abbott Production: Brian Abbott

Deadline for all editorial and advertising is the first Tuesday of publication month.

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REPORT OF THE JUNE GENERAL MEETING held at the Phoenix Park Community Centre on Wednesday 22 June 2016

At our first winter meeting for 2016 we had fewer than 20 members attend which was probably due to the inclement weather, but we still had plenty of plants on the sales table and a good selection of colourful bromeliads on the display bench. The main presentation was from Lloyd Godman who spoke and showed pictures of his

bromeliad based artworks around Melbourne and other parts of Australia.

Lloyd has a real passion for Tillandsias in particular and extolled the benefits of these amazing plants in improving our environment both aesthetically and through improved air quality. (Ed. Lloyd’s website is www.lloydgodman.net) RESULTS OF THE POPULAR VOTE: TILLANDSIA: Len Summers was back with his Tillandsia tectorum but this time it was in flower thus adding a spike of colour to the silvery white foliage. Nice one, Len.

OTHER BROMELIADS

GLASSHOUSE /POLYHOUSE GROWN: Geoff Beech took out the honours with a Guzmania ‘Firecracker’, and with its variegated foliage, red spike and yellow flower buds it’s a striking plant.

LLOYD TALKING ABOUT HIS

NEW BOOK LLOYD IN HIS BROMELIAD HAT,

LIVING FUNCTIONAL ART

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OUTSIDE OR SHADEHOUSE GROWN: There was a tie in this

category with an Aechmea ‘Red Wing’ grown by Geoff Beech

and another Aechmea. Unfortunately we don’t have the name

or the grower of the other winning plant so if it was yours could

you please let the editor know for our records. Both plants

displayed striking flower spikes against lush foliage.

ARRANGEMENT: Two entries contested

for honours here, but it was Len Murray’s arrangement of Vriesea philippo-coburgii in full spike fronted by three purple flower spikes from Vriesea ‘Purple Cockatoo’, all grown in a tree fern stump, that won the day. NOVICE: There were no novice entries at this meeting, but we look forward to seeing a good display in August. Thank you to all those members who entered plants into the display.

Bruce

FEES FOR 2016 Fees were due on 1 January 2016 and can be paid at General Meetings, by direct deposit, or by cheque

If your details haven’t changed, you will not need to fill in a 2016 Membership Form.

Details of fees, and methods of payment, are on page 20 of this newsletter.

If you deposit at a bank, please let Bev know via email

The April newsletter was the final newsletter for unfinancial members.

Bev Leishman

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THE BSV IS TURNING FIFTY

Your Society, the Bromeliad Society of Victoria, is about to celebrate the 50th

Anniversary of its inception in 1976.We are planning an appropriate celebratory event on Saturday, March 18, 2017, at the Matthew Flinders Hotel in Chadstone.

The celebration will take the form of a mini-conference, with both local and other invited guest speakers, in the afternoon, to be followed by an Anniversary Dinner. There will also be plant sales, an auction and recognition of BSV members who have made a significant contribution to the Society.

The Matthew Flinders Hotel provides an elegant setting for this event with space available for all aspects of the occasion. Accommodation will be available for those who don’t wish to travel home on Saturday night.

More details about speakers, times, etc will be provided over the coming months but please reserve this date in your 2017 calendars. We expect that the Mini-Conference will be of greater interest to members only whilst the Dinner will be a chance to invite family and friends to celebrate with us.

50th

Anniversary Committee Bruce Lee, Chris Larson, Chris Baker

BROMS AT WELLINGTON BOTANIC GARDEN, NZ

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DISCUSSION GROUP MEETINGS The Discussion Group will meet Wednesday 17 August, 2016 at the Kevin Heinze Garden Centre, 39 Wetherby Rd, Doncaster, at 8 pm. The discussion group meets on the third Wednesday most months to talk bromeliads in an informal setting. The meeting is not of a technical nature. However arrangements may change at the last minute, so if you are not on the discussion group mail out, please call Chris (9568 8856) or Len (9569 7936) to check that arrangements are still current if you plan to attend. All members are very welcome - don’t be put off thinking it will be technical. Future Discussion Group Dates: 21 September, 19 October, 16 November

Tillandsia romeroi var. gruberi Chris Larson

Billbergia pyramidalis Rob Mather

Aechmea orlandianas Grown by several members

Aechmea capixabae Bruce Lee

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NEW PLANT IMPORT RESTRICTIONS Information from George Stamatis (Nov. 2015) & DAFF (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries) 1. The bacterium is called Xylella fastidiosa. 2. It is spread through sap-sucking insects. 3. It can only survive in living plant tissue with xylem fluid. This includes stems, roots, leaves and fruits. It is not known to transmit through seeds except in Citrus. 4. The EU has only banned the import of particular plant species that are proven to be carriers. AQIS has banned / regulated imports at a genus and family level. 5. The EU is also developing criteria for export nurseries to become 'approved'. How their requirements will compare to Australia's requirements will not be known until finalised. It is in our best interests if ALL countries have the same requirements as us. 6. The EU does not require any DNA testing yet. New Zealand will conduct their testing in NZ and not offshore. Australia requires testing offshore of both motherplants and a sample from shipments. There is also the possibility of testing plants here in AU to confirm the lab results of the exporting country. 7. If we are the only country with such stringent requirements, there will be many exporters that will not be willing to deal with us. The pathogen they are concerned about is a bacteria that is native to the Americas. It lives in the xylem vessels of plants (the plant equivalent of blood vessels) and it feeds on their xylem fluid (plant equivalent of blood). If the bacteria proliferate sufficiently, it leads to the plant being unable to sustain itself and the bacteria can also block the xylem vessels once there are too many of them. This then leads to the death of the plant. The only known ‘cure’ for infected plants is hot water treatment. This involves submerging plants in water at 50 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes. The bacteria cannot withstand this. Unfortunately, this treatment would also be lethal to bromeliads. Anyway, the pathogen has never been known to occur outside the Americas but recently it has popped up in Italy where it decimated olive plantations. It has also been recently found in a few other countries in Asia and the middle east. So, it appears to be spreading and is adapting to different hosts as it spreads, and this has got the IPPC a bit spooked. So, why have AQIS decided to apply new rules to the entire bromeliad family? This is where it gets a bit ridiculous. There was one report from the EU of Tillandsia usneoides (Spanish moss) having the bacteria. I am still trying to get access to this report so that I can better understand if it was just one isolated case, or if the circumstances were different. Anyway, the EU has only banned the importation of Tillandsia usneoides as it is a known carrier. AQIS has gone way, way further. They are currently prohibiting the importation of plants of ALL Tillandsia species, AND they are subjecting the entire bromeliad family to stringent import requirements. The requirements at this point appear to be impossible to meet unless you are a mega

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importer and your supplier is a mega nursery. Their protocols are not catering for small, medium, large or diverse nursery businesses at all. They have divided the world into 2 categories. High and low risk countries. You can import all bromeliads except for Tillandsias from high risk countries (e.g. the USA including Hawaii, Europe) if you meet the following requirements: (a)The supplier’s nursery operation needs to be ‘approved’ by AQIS. There are criteria they need to meet with regard to how they run their nursery operation. Their local authorities would need to audit them according the criteria supplied by AQIS, and grant approval if the criteria are met. The criteria are both vague and excessive. (b)The mother stock need to be DNA tested, and a sample of plants in a shipment also need to be DNA tested prior to shipping. This testing needs to give a negative result or the plants won’t be accepted into Australia. The specifics of how the testing needs to be done are still very vague. (c) As far as I am aware, Australia is the only country making these demands. The only nurseries for whom AQIS’ requirements would be feasible would be the mega nurseries that have a small inventory of cloned plants that they pump out by the million from tissue culture. Smaller, specialised and diverse nurseries will find the requirements very hard, if not impossible to meet. That’s where it is currently at. Not nice. We will all have to take very good care of our Tillandsias because we might not be able to import new stock again for a very long time, if ever. We will need to make sure we make a concerted effort to produce pure species from seed here at home, and not just hybrids. So, take good care of your plants everyone. We might not be able to rely on plant imports for a very long time. George Stamatis February 2016 - I received an amendment to my Import Permit. Lynn Hudson “The following measures apply to plant tissue cultures and nursery stock that are hosts of X. fastidiosa, and are applied in addition to current import requirements: • nursery stock and plant material coming from countries or regions where X. fastidiosa occurs will need to be tested offshore and certified as being free from X. fastidiosa by the government of the exporting country • an approved arrangement that ensures the health of plants will need to be in place for off-shore testing and certification of nursery stock from high risk countries. • material that does not meet the above requirements may be held and tested in an approved post entry quarantine facility for 12 months or nursery stock material may be hot water treated, followed by standard post entry quarantine screening arrangements.” http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/goods/plant-products/how-to-import-plants/xylella/notificationamended-emergency-quarantine-measures#roles--and-responsibilities Reprinted with kind permission from Bromelcairns2016#1

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NOTES ON THE POLYMORPHIC TILLANDSIA XIPHIOIDES KER GAWLER Eric J. Gouda

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Tillandsia xiphioides was described in 1816 by Ker Gawler in Botanical Register 2: t. 105 (and accompanying text) from Buenos Aires, Argentina (the species is not currently known from this area). It is doubtful if a specimen has been preserved as the type (Smith & Downs 1977), but the species is well typified by the plate (Fig. 1). It seems to me that the typical specimen is a relatively large one, with spreading leaves, that can be compared in size with the clone in Fig 2. That plant is also visible in Figure 4b.

Tillandsia xiphioides also grows in Bolivia and one doubtful record is known from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (specimen not seen). It belongs to the subgenus Anoplophytum, having flowers with spreading petal blades and the narrow petal claws forming a tube, included stamens (often with plicate filaments) and the slender style with the stigma often emerging from the throat of the corolla.

The species has a large distribution over Argentina and Bolivia and is highly variable and although 3 varieties and 1 subspecies have already been described (for a distribution map see Hromadnik, 1989). this does not cover the whole range of variation. It seems that there are many distinct ecotypes and plants from numerous local populations look different. Differences are found in plant size, succulence, leaf arrangement (more-or-less secund or spreading), leaf pubescence (densely lepidote to tomentose, and cinereousgreen to silvery white), and the size and number of flowers in the spikes (many forms are typically 2- or 3-flowered, but some are up to 7-(10-)flowered). 1Utrecht University Botanic Gardens, Budapestlaan 17,

3584 CD Utrecht, Netherlands. Email: e.j.gouda@uu.nl

SCIENCE

Figure 1. Original illustration of Tillandsia xiphioides from the protolog, in Botanical Register 2: table 105.

Figure 2. Large form of Tillandsia xiphioides collected by C.S.Gouda in Bolivia. A. Flowering clump (top). B. You can see the long, narrow stigma lobes just above the spreading petals. Photos by Eric Gouda.

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The smallest form known to me (Fig.3) is from South Bolivia, Tarija - near Entre Rios, 2800 m elevation. The same small, very succulent form has been collected in the same province by Renate Ehlers (see Fig. 10). This is a very delicate and compact form that changes habit in cultivation depending on growing conditions. In my private collection it seems to grow smaller each year and did not flower up till now (Fig. 3). At the Utrecht Botanical Garden, where it gets fertilization on a regular schedule along with more space and light during the winter, it grows much faster and flowers regularly.

At the moment I'm growing also a piece from the plant collected by Renate Ehlers (Fig. 4d) and it has just started producing an inflorescence. I am hoping some flowers will develop later this year. Often Tillandsia xiphioides starts to make a spike in autumn, but then develops very slowly or stops before producing any flower in winter. My small greenhouse is situated WNW at the back of my house, which is bad for light conditions during winter. This explains suppressed growth and flowering in the above mentioned form. This winter I was lucky that a few specimens from different forms produced flowers, starting with the large robust form collected by my father in Bolivia (locality unknown, Fig. 2 and Fig. 4b) that has a strong, sweet fragrance. A very slender leaved and smaller form also collected by my father in Bolivia (Tarija Mnt., 2300 m) is flowering at the moment and could be compared with Tillandsia xiphioides var. minor Hromadnik (1989). It is smaller in all parts, less succulent and is weakly fragrant (Fig. 5 & 4c). Even smaller is the specimen from Bolivia,Villa Montes close to the border with Argentina at 1500 m elevation (Fig. 6). Another larger form is Tillandsia xiphioides var. lutea L.Hrom. (1990) from Chuquisaca, Bolivia, which has cream yellow petals (Fig. 7). A colour that is difficult to get right in a photograph, because it often looks white on the photo. The floral bracts are salmon-brown in contrast with the other forms that have greenish (soon pale brown) floral bracts that are partly transparent. This plant was collected by Helmut & Lieselotte Hromadnik (collection number 5183) and shared with us by the Botanical Garden Heidelberg.

Figure 3. A small and very succulent form of Tillandsia xiphioides collected by C.S. Gouda in South Bolivia, Tarija - near Entre Rios, 2800 m elevation. A. Flowering clump. B. Close-up of inflorescence. Photo by Eric Gouda.

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Figure 4. Four different forms of Tillandsia xiphioides mounted together to compare their sizes and shapes. A. small compact succulent form as in Fig. 3 B. Large form as seen in Fig. 2. C. T. xiphioides var. minor D. intermediate sized and succulent form. Photo by Eric Gouda.

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A long caulescent form (leafy part of the stem about as long as the leaves), currently flowering (Fig. 8) and under study, has a very short peduncle and peduncle bracts 5-6 times as long as the internodes, the upper reaching the middle of the lowermost floral bracts. The floral characteristics are not very different from other forms of Tillandsia xiphioides, but that of the peduncle bracts and inflorescence in general are.

Notes on the polymorphic

SCIENCE Notes on the polymorphic Tillandsia

Figure 5. Tillandsia xiphioides var. minor collected by C.S. Gouda in South Bolivia, Mnt. Tarija, 2300 m. Photo by Eric Gouda.

Figure 6. A very small form of Tillandsia xiphioides collected by C.S. Gouda from Bolivia,Villa Montes close to the border with Argentina at 1500 m.

Figure 7(left) Tillandsia xiphioides var. lutea, H. & L. Hromadnik 5183, from Bolivia, Prov. Tarija, 900 m. The light yellow petals and relatively colorful floral bracts are characteristic. Photos by Eric Gouda

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Figure 8. Tillandsia aff. xiphioides collected by C.S. Gouda from Bolivia, Cochabamba – Tolata.

A. The plant is more caulescent than most forms of T. xiphioides. B. The peduncle is short, with

longer, more overlapping bracts. Photo by Eric Gouda.

This specimen was also collected by my father in Bolivia, Cochabamba – Tolata in November 1989 and is flowering for the first time in my collection. It is very different from T. xiphioides subsp. Prolata H. Luther (1996), described as a long caulescent subspecies of T. xiphioides (Fig. 9). Typical for all varieties of Tillandsia xiphioide s is the relatively short peduncle, shorter than the length of the spike, which is not the case in T. xiphioides subsp. prolata. Also its habit is very different from other varieties, its distribution is northwards out of the range of T. xiphioides and therefore it is better to distinguish this as a species on its own right, otherwise we should include T. diaguitensis A. Cast. (1929) as a subspecies of T. xiphioides too. That this

Figure 9. Tillandsia prolata from Bolivia, Prov. La Paz (Tropiflora 1389). Originally described as T. xiphioides subsp. prolata (see text on facing page). Photo by Eric Gouda.

Figure 10. A small and very succulent form of Tillandsia xiphioides collected by R.Ehlers in South Bolivia, Tarija. Compare to plant in Figure 3A. Photo by Eric Gouda.

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taxon deserves a species status can also be concluded from the phylogram published by Till & Barfuss (2014). Tillandsia prolata (H. Luther) Gouda & Barfuss comb. et stat. nov. Basionym: Tillandsia xiphioides subsp. prolata H. Luther (1996), J. Bromeliad Soc. 46(5): 211, figs. 10, 11. Type: Bolivia: Dept. La Paz, roadside from La Paz to Mecapaca, Valle de la Luna, Rio Abajo, Alt.2500 m., 5-10-1995. D. Cathcart Cathcart B-2 = Cathcart s. n in hort. Selby: (holo SEL, iso LPB). Tillandsia prolata is a taxon that is in between T. xiphioides and T. diaguitensis. It would be very helpful to include more species of the T. xiphioides complex in molecular studies to learn more about the relationships between these species. Another variety that deserves to be a species to its own right is Tillandsia xiphioides var. tafiensis L.B.Sm. (1970). It has variously purple-blue petals like several other species from the Tillandsia xiphioides complex and has a different form of indumentum (strongly asymmetric trichomes). More study is needed to compare this species with other species of the Tillandsia xiphioides complex (see also Hromadnik 1989, 1990, 1991), like Tillandsia gerdae Ehlers (1987), Tillandsia cochabambae E.Gross & Rauh (1986) and Tillandsia recurvispica L.Hrom. & P.Schneider (1987). Tillandsia tafiensis (L.B. Sm.) Gouda comb. et stat. nov. Basionym: Tillandsia xiphioides var. tafiensis L.B.Sm. (1970), Phytologia 20: 173. Type: Argentina: Prov. Tucumán, Tafi, Managua, Alt.2000 m. 12-1931. R. Schreiter 7176 (holo US, iso GH, K, LIL, NY). The forms shown here are just a few of the many variations found within the wild populations of Tillandsia xiphioides. I do not think it would be very helpful to describe each form as an infraspecific taxon of Tillandsia xiphioides: enough intermediate forms can be found to completely confuse the definitions of any infraspecific groups we try to describe. Acknowledgements I want to express my gratitude to my father, C.S. Gouda, who collected all those interesting varieties of Tillandsia xiphioides and shared them with me and the Botanic Garden Utrecht. I also want to thank Walter Till for sharing a plant of Tillandsia xiphioides subsp. prolata from the Vienna Botanic Garden with our Botanic Garden and for his numerous suggestions to improve this article. I want to thank Renate Ehlers and Timm Stolten of the Heidelberg Botanic Garden for sharing material with us. I also want to thank the Editor Alan Herndon for linguistically correcting the manuscript. Literature cited Castellanos, A. 1929. Bromeliaceae Argentinae Novae vel Criticae, II. Anales del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Buenos Aires 36: 49-57. Ehlers, R. 1987. Zwei „Neue” aus Bolivien. Die Bromelie 1987(2): 32-33. Gross, E. & Rauh, W. 1986. Tillandsia cochabambae Gross et Rauh spec nov. Die Bromelie 1986(2): 14-15.

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Hromadnik, L. 1989. Der Verwandtschaftskreis um Tillandsia xiphioides. Die Bromelie 1989(3): 65.EE Notes on the polymorphic Hromadnik, L. 1990. Der Verwandtschaftskreis um Tillandsia xiphioides - Fortsetzung und Erstbeschreibung von T. xiphioides var. lutea L. Hromadnik var. nov. Die Bromelie 1990(1): 14-15. Hromadnik, L. 1991. Der Verwandtschaftskreis um T. xiphioides (4). Die Bromelie 1991(1): 9-11. Hromadnik, L. & Schneider, P. 19874. T. recurvispica — eine neue Tillandsia aus Bolivien. Die Bromelie 1987(1): 1-4, back cover. Ker Gawler, J.B. 1816. Tillandsia xiphioides. Buenos Ayres Tillandsia or Air-plant. Botanical Register 2: t. 105. Luther, H.E. 1996. A new Ornamental Tillandsia from Bolivia. J. Bromeliad Soc. 46: 211-212. Smith, L.B. 1970. Notes on Bromeliaceae XXXI. Phytologia 20(3):121-183. Smith, L.B. & Downs, R.J. 1977. Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae). In: Flora Neotropica 14(2). Hafner Press, New York. pp. 663–1492. Till, W. & Barfuss, M.H.J. 2014. A new epilithic Tillandsia from Central Bolivia: T. lechneri. J. Bromeliad Soc 64(2): 96-101.

Reprinted with kind permission from J. Bromeliad Soc. 65(2). 2015.SCIENCE Notes on

the polymorphic Tillandsia

RELATIVELY SPEAKING Many years ago when I was twenty-three, I got married to a widow who was pretty as could be This widow had a grown up daughter with hair of red, my father fell in love with her, and soon the two were wed. This made my dad my son-in-law and changed my very life, my daughter was my mother, for she was my father’s wife. To complicate the matters worse, although it brought me joy, I soon became the father of a bouncing baby boy. My little baby then became a brother-in-law to dad and so became my uncle, though it made me very sad. For if he was my uncle, then that also made him the brother, to the widow’s grown up daughter who, of course, was my step-mother. Father’s wife then had a son, who kept them on the run, and he became my grandson, for he was my daughter’s son. My wife is now my mother’s mother and it makes me blue, because although she is my wife, she is my grandma too. If my wife is my grandmother, then I am her grandchild and every time I think of it, it simply drives me wild. And now I have become the strangest case you ever saw, as the husband of my grandmother, I am my own grandpa!!

(thanks Len Summers)

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Single: $20 per annum Family: $25 per annum All membership fees are due on 1st January each year.

In order to reduce costs and keep the BSV financial we will only send an electronic copy of the newsletter to you where you provide us with an email address. If you also require a hard copy of the newsletter, in addition to an electronic copy, then we are asking that you pay an additional $6 on top of your annual subscription to help cover some of the printing and postage costs. Please refer to the Membership Form for details or contact a BSV committee member if you have any questions.

PLEASE NOTE THAT PAYMENT OF MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION CAN NOW BE MADE BY BANK TRANSFER. THE SOCIETY’S BANK DETAILS ARE: BANK NAB ACCOUNT BROMELIAD SOCIETY OF VICTORIA INC. ACCOUNT NO. 48-585-2809 BSB 083-132

PLEASE ENSURE THAT DEPOSIT/TRANSFER CLEARLY SHOWS THE MEMBER’S NAME.

C O L L EC TO R S C O R N E R G AR D E N W OR L D

810 Springvale Road Braeside Vic 3195 Phone (03) 9798 5845 Fax (03) 9706 3339

Email: sales@collectorscorner.com.au Website: www.collectorscorner.com.au

BROMELIADS – comprehensive collection together with a large selection of Imported Tillandsias available. 10% discount on most lines to Society members on presentation of their cards.

CACTI – from small varieties to advanced specimens SUCCULENTS – living stones, crassulas, agave, aloe and many more. BONSAI – from starters to specimen plants. CARNIVOROUS PLANTS – from seedlings to advanced plants.

All opinions expressed in the Newsletter are those of the authors, not necessarily those of the BSV.