Contents of Newsletter

• Report of August Meeting
• Program for September and October meetings
• Practical Class given by John Olsen on mounting Tillandsias.
• Plant of the Month was Spring-Flowering Tillandsias by Bruce Dunstan.
• Guest Speaker was Bruce Dunstan on Guzmania species in Habitat.
• Results of August Popular Vote.
• Upcoming Events
• 2018 Meeting Information

Ed. Maxim Wilson
 maxim.wilson@internode.on.net

August Meeting Notes
John Olsen chaired the meeting in the absence of President Barry Kable.

The RNA Show Plant Competition was again won by the BSQ Entry, assembled by Amanda Meads and her team.
They won the Colin Campbell Memorial Award for the most educational display, and won first prize in Horticultural Display.

Spring Show will be held at the new venue of the Belmont Rifle Range Complex. This site is close to the Gateway Arterial and should provide easy access for everyone.
Plenty of parking will be available.
3rd & 4th November (see below).

Mounting Tillandsias with John Olsen.
John demonstrated mounting seedlings or small offsets onto wine bottle corks, wooden pegs, and pieces of cork sheeting,
Using various adhesives:
His preferred glues are Selleys AllClear (over Selleys Liquid Nails),
Wellbond Glue works well for tiny seedlings onto wooden pegs.
Aluminium wire is used for holding larger plants. He starts with a crook at the end of the wire, this holds the base of the plant and then the wire is looped around the plant holding it vertical.
Lengths of nylon stocking are useful for fixing larger plants to a mount or tree.
Plants tolerate the galvanized coating on wire.
Long pins can stabilize a small plant until its roots secure a grip on the mount, especially T. ionantha, which can come loose if glued and the lower leaves die off.

Plant of The Month segment Bruce Dunstan entertained us with many Spring-Flowering Tillandsias from his collection.

T. recurvifolia subsecundifolia is at its peak now. Bruce has 4 varieties, and showed us his giant form. 
T. leomaniana resembles the above, but differs in having blue flowers.
T. ‘Houston’ (stricta x recurvifolia) was in abundance at the meeting.
T. ‘Rosy Gem’ (stricta x neglecta) 
T. bulbosa has a curious growth habit, seen in Panama.
T. stupenda
T. novakii.   See pic
T. complanata note the spike uniquely grows out of leaf axils.
T. concolor x fasciculata  Dimmitt hybrid.
T. ‘Holm’s Mother Lode’ has perfume, yellow flowers.
Tillandsia 'Holm's Mother Lode' (duratii x crocata).

Guest Speaker was Bruce Dunstan on Guzmanias.
What is a Guzmania?
Guzmanias belong to a genus of bromeliads in the subfamily Tillandsioideae. 
They lack spines, they are rainforest plants and like it warm and wet.
They are distinguished from Vrieseas and Tillandsias by a tubular shape to their flowers.

These plants are named after the 18th century Spanish naturalist Anastasio Guzman.

They need warm conditions, plenty of indirect light, humidity and regular access to water to thrive, so can be grown outdoors in such climates; however many are grown indoors provided that humidity is kept up.

Guzmania grow perfectly well in low light conditions and artificial light and are therefore used very successfully indoors such as offices and shopping centres.
Most species come from the high Andes in the rainforests of Colombia, Ecuador into western Brazil. And this is where Bruce found them in habitat while on his travels in South America.
There are 139 species of Guzmania on the Florida Council Photo Index and Bruce appears to have photographed at least 54 of these in Ecuador and Colombia, a remarkable achievement.

Bruce regards Jeffrey Kent as the Guzmania guru.
His father had a vast collection and in 1973 Jeffrey and his father established Kent’s Bromeliads in Vista, California. They went to South America collecting bromeliads including Guzmanias for commercial production. They collected plants at altitudes between 700 to 1500m for these were ideal for commercial sales. Guzmanias that grew below 700m didn’t tolerate the cold, and plants found above 1500m suffered from the Californian heat.
Guzmanias are found in old primary growth forests, and not in regrowth  forests.

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jan/21/local/me-leonardkent21

Christmas Party is on thursday 6.12.18 at
Easts Leagues Club,
40 Main Avenue Coorparoo.
Cost is $40 for each member,
Please pay the treasurer at the coming meeting,or online
BSB 124 057, ACC 021663949.
Deadline for payment is the November Meeting.

There will be a buffet dinner.
It will feature the usual monster raffle.

Popular Vote Competition Results
Novice:
1st Tillandsia ‘Beauty’ by Alfonso Trudu.
2nd Tillandsia bulbosa by Alfonso Trudu.
3rd Tillandsia fuchsia var gracilis by Gilda Trudu.

Intermediate:
1st Tillandsia ‘Houston’ by Evelyn Rees. 
2nd Aechmea ‘Roberto Menescal’ by Graeme Stay.
3rd Tillandsia recurvifolia subsecundifolia by Livia Doidge.

Advanced:
1st Tillandsia xerographica by Bruce Dunstan.
2nd Dyckia ‘Talbot’ by Barbara McCune.
2nd Cryptanthus ‘Thriller’ by Barbara McCune.

Decorative Display:
1st ‘Tilly Turtles’ by Barbara McCune.
1st ‘We’ve Been Framed by Karen Kiddey.
3rd ‘Corsage’ by Gilda Trudu.