OCTOBER NEWSLETTER 2017

What's Happened and What's Happening

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Contents
Special General Meeting to appoint Olive and Len Trevor as Patrons of our Society.
Notes from the Meeting 21.9.17
Recognition Awards for EKKA Volunteers.
Practical Class with Pam Butler on Dividing Tillandsias.
Plant of the Month: Billbergias with Len Waite.
Guest Speaker: Bruce Dunstan on Guzmanias in North Western Ecuador.
Popular Vote Competition Results.
Christmas Party 7th December.
Editor Maxim Wilson (maxim.wilson@internode.on.net)

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Appointment of Olive and Len Trevor as Patrons of our Society.
You will have been advised that our next meeting will be preceded by a Special General Meeting to appoint our Patrons.

Barry Kable opened the Meeting and welcomed guests.
Barry displayed The Mabel Burnet Shield won by our EKKA display.
The meeting recognized the efforts of volunteers at the EKKA Show. After a ballot, two received a gift of the Vriesea 'Golden Jubilee'.

Practical Class with Pam Butler.
Removing pups from the base of a Tillandsia tectorum can be a challenge. It is easy to snap the offset leaving some of it still with the mother. Pam was successful by gently wiggling the pup with her fingers until the offset loosened and came away. Pam removed several leaves in the process, but Alan Phythian advised against removing any leaves. He believes the 'eyes' dry out reducing your chances to get offsets. Some prefer a small knife.
The tectorum pup is mounted upside down. i.e., the base is higher than the leaves which point to the ground. In time, the leaves with grow upwards.
What glue? Pam prefers Selleys All Clear. Alternatives are Selleys Kwik Grip or Wellbond. The hot-glue gun has its admirers, but none in the group.
What mount? Cork had its detractors because the cavities attract moths and their grubs. Pam uses sawn pieces of decking timber. Alan uses cedar, and some advised soaking it in water before use.
Pam ties her plants to the mount with cut strips of ballet tights!
Label it 'straightaway'. She uses cut strips of Venetian blind from the recycle station, or the dump!
Rescuing sickly offsets: Many have used a polystyrene box with 2cm water in it. The lid is closed and taped in place. Holes are made in the lid to accommodate the struggling pup. The humidity from the water nourishes the offsets, and encourages root formation.
Thanks Pam for some useful techniques

Billbergia 'Burgundy Blush', one of Len Waite's Creations.

Plant of The Month Topic was
Billbergias with Len Waite who comes from Upper Caboolture.
Len started out in broms in a friendship with Russell Holzheimer, of Bundaberg, when they bought an established collection of bromeliads.
Len has made a lot of crosses with Bill 'Hallelujah' and 'Domingos Martins' (a cultivar of Bill vittata). Grace Goode showed Len hybridising techniques, and early on, he produced 500 seedlings.
He has become more selective of his young plants. He brought a table full of his hybrids for display. Len names his creations 'Talbot' when he is ready to sell, to indicate his work.
Two of his beauties were raffled.
Thanks for an interesting talk, Len.

Guest Speaker was Bruce Dunstan, sharing 28 species of Guzmanias from North West Ecuador.
This is his third trip to Ecuador.
Bruce has been into plants since 1984, has a serious interest in heliconias,
which was one goal of this adventure.
Bruce has been into bromeliads for over 20 years, worked at Greenstock Nursery developing Alcantareas, has been active designing green walls, and has shared with us several of his bromeliad adventures in South and Central America.
Ecuador lies on the equator, and straddles the Andes, with the Pacific Ocean on the western side, and the Amazon Valley to the east.
Bruce started at Quito at 2600m elevation and went north east towards Colombia. He was searching for an unusual heliconia, but found 28 Guzmanias on the way.
He found a mature specimen of Till complanata with many axillary flowers,up in a tree.
Till superba had a 2m tall pink spike and amazed.
He found Mezobromelia lyman-smithii, now in the new genus Gregbrownia !
It is a stunning plant nearly 2m high, even 3.5m tall (see below).
Guzmania remyi (see below).

Bruce went north of Quito near the Colombian border in search of Guzmanias.

Gregbrownia lyman smithii (and this is not Bruce!)

Guzmania remyi was found in flower by Bruce.

Guzmania teuscheri.

Others found were :
Pitcairnia nigra
Guz teuscheri has a 1m inflorescence, brilliant orange colour (above).
Guz pseudospectabilis has a 1m tall inflorescence, is more common in Colombia.
Guz alborosea with pink and white bracts
It has a spike 1m tall, with a bright pink scape.
Guz angustifolia is caulescent
Pitcairnia palmoides has fab paddle-shaped foliage (below).

Pitcairnia palmoides.

Guzmania witmackii.

Guz formosa showed a 1m spike.
Guz regalis had a big red spike with many bracts.
Guz graminifolia is caulescent.

Guzmanis regalis

Guzmania kentii is named after Jeffrey Kent who has made 50 trips searching for bromeliads in 50 years. He seeks broms found between 700-1500m for commercial propagation.
Established in 1975 by brothers Jeffrey, Larry, and Michael Kent, Kent’s Bromeliad Nursery, Inc. is devoted exclusively to bromeliads. They provide more than 100 commercial varieties year-round from an 840,000 square-foot nursery.
Kent's Bromeliads is at Carlsbad, just north of San Diego, in Southern California.
Focused on sales to mass merchandisers, wholesalers and professional landscapers, Kent’s concentrates almost exclusively on bromeliad development and propagation.

Guzmania kentii is endemic to Ecuador.
It is known from only one population in Imbabura province.

Thanks, Bruce for an informative talk and entertaining slide show.

Cane fires and apparent early flowering of Billbergias.
Greg Aizelwood has noted unexpected flowering of a number of his bromeliads, and links it to extensive cane fires in his district.
Greg referred to the effect of daylight hours or night hours in triggering flowering. For those who want to read more on this, click on the link below:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoperiodism

In response to our Members Survey,
The following decisions were made by the committee:
We encourage the selling of non-bromeliad plants.
Meeting Times will not change, and continue on the third Thursday of each month,
7pm Practical Class on odd-numbered months,
7:30pm Main Meeting commences,
9:30pm meeting ends.
More frequent Practical Classes will be planned for 2018.
Guest speakers on non-Bromeliad topics will be permitted.
There was support for Study Days for Genera other than Tillandsias.
If you would like to organise one, speak to Barry Kable or John Olsen.

Notices:

SPRING SHOW 2017 is on again at the Table Tennis Centre, 86 Green Street, Windsor.
Dates are Sat/Sunday 11/12 November 2017.
Friday Setup is from 10:00am.
Competition plants in from 10:30am to 12:30pm.
Go to the website for the Show Schedule, the 6 page version.
Login is NOT necessary.
Download the Schedule > enter plant details on screen > then email it to sales@bromsqueensland.com.au
or
Print out the Schedule > enter your plant details > scan it or photograph it > email it to the above
or
bring the printed copy with your plants by 12:30 friday.
Don't forget the bromeliad Photography competition.

Judging starts 1:30pm.
Members are asked to bring in bromeliads for Amanda to fashion her Display.

Autumn Show 2018 is on April at
Genesis College, Bray Park ( yes! A two day show!)

A Back To Basics Day will be held at Greg and Narelle Aizlewood's home at 15 Royal Palm Drive, Steiglitz on Saturday 21 October (change of date).
Start 9:00 to 9:30am until midday.
Home phone 55461161. Mobile 0418193628.
Members will need to bring a chair and a plate for morning tea.
Lunch will be provided - a sausage sizzle.
Please call to confirm your attendance to help with catering.
This meeting targets newer members.
The programme includes different genera, potting and propagating, growing from seed, fertilizing and pest control.
Entry is by a gold coin donation to go towards the Golden Broms Conference in 2018.

Popular Vote Results.

Popular Vote Thursday 21.9.17
Novice
1st. xSincoregelia 'Galactic Warrior' by Jenny Britten.
2nd Till 'Red Torch' by Steve Molnar.

Intermediate
1st. Till 'Lucille'. by. Dorothy Andreason.
2nd. Neoregelia 'Donna'. by Jenny Ittensohn.
Advanced
1st. Till recurvata v. subsecundifolia by Bob Cross.
2nd. Hechtia tillandsioides by Barry Kable.

Decorative
1st. IM-Posta by Ron Jell.
2nd. Cute mini gizmo in pink from Sharon Born.

xSincoregelia 'Galactic Warrior' from Jenny Britten.

Tillandsia 'Red Torch' from Steve Molnar.

Tillandsia 'Lucille' from Dorothy Andreason.

Neoregelia 'Donna' from Jenny Ittensohn. Ron Jell.

Tillandsia recurvata x subsecundifolia from Bob Cross.

Hectia tillandsioides from Barry Kable.

COSTA? NO, IM-POSTA from Ron Jell.

Christmas Party Thursday 7th December, 2017.
Starts 6 to 6:30pm
Easts League's Club, 40 Main Street, Coorparoo.
costs $40 per head. Pay John Olsen at the next meeting.

How many plants can you enter into Competition ?
For the Popular Vote, you can enter three plants only.
For the Mini Show, you can enter two plants in each of four classes
making a maximum of eight plants.

The Committee is keen to expand the range of plants on offer at meetings. Sales will be made open to the public so bring your plants in!

Society Member Shirts are available,
For new members they are $25, includes
the BSQ logo, and members name.
For current members, BSQ shirts cost $25.50 with BSQ logo,
an extra $5.50 for a pocket (total $31)
and an extra $5.00 with your name embroidered on it.

2017 Meeting Information

Meeting Show Schedule

January - MINI SHOW

Class 1 – Aechmea species and hybrids
Class 2 – Vriesea species and hybrids
Class 3 – Dyckia species and hybrids
Class 4 - any other flowering bromeliad species and hybrids