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Bromelia Contactgroep (BCG)
P/a Botanische Tuinen
Budapestlaan 17
3584 CD Utrecht

ABN-AMRO IBAN: NL66 ABNA0421855185 tel.030-253 9281

Newsletter 100 - September 2019

Invitation to the Autumn Meeting on Sunday, October 6, 2019.

Dear Members,

 

This is to invite you to our Autumn Meeting on Sunday October 6. Everyone is welcome from 10 a.m. on in the conservatory of the Utrecht Botanical Gardens, entrance on the Harvardlaan.

 

Up to about 11 a.m. there will be opportunities to greet one another, to drink coffee or tea, to consult the literature provided and to look around a bit, for example at the plants that have been brought for display and discussion or for the raffle table.

We shall hold a short members' meeting at 11 a.m., the agenda for this is given below.

This will be followed by a discussion of the plants members have brought together with some bromeliad species from the Botanical Garden's collection.

 

During the lunch, plants provided by growers and members will be raffled. Should you have too much plant material after this warm and fertile summer, do please bring it along so that you can bring happiness to your fellow hobbyists through the raffle!

Coffee, tea and lunch will as usual be provided by the Gouda family. Filled rolls (sandwiches) will be available for a small fee.

 

The afternoon programme will be supplied by Art Vogel, who wants to take us to the Botanical Garden Nong Nooch in the Chonburi province of Thailand.

We hope to be able to welcome you all on October 6th.

 

On behalf of the Board,

Roel Tomassen, secretary, text

Eric Gouda, chairman, layout.

 

Fig. 1 en 2 Aechmea disjuncta, photos Eric Gouda

 

Agenda for the meeting

Consider for a moment the fact that we are now sending the 100th newsletter, that is surely a celebration number. John Coenen & Jeroen van der Steen sent the first newsletter (invitation to the first meeting), by post at the time, from Benthuizen / s'Gravenzande in February 1996 and that is more than 23 years ago. Since 1997, due to its central location, the Botanical Garden in Utrecht has been the permanent home of the meetings of what was then an informal group (see newsletter 7) but which became an official association in 2000. We need to prepare the 25th anniversary of the Bromelia Contact Group in 2021, so in a year and a half. Let us start now to think about how to make it a special year. You will find all the newsletters on the website, http://bromeliad.nl, but we are still missing number 8, from late 1997 or early 1998, so if anyone can find it back, do please let us know.

Plant Portraits

Aechmea disjuncta (figs. 1 & 2) is an attractive mid-size species that reminds one of a Hohenbergia and that was how it was described by L.B. Smith in 1940. The colours, however, betray that it is an Aechmea and Elton Leme and Jose Siqueira transferred it to this genus in 2006. It is related to Aechmea fosteriana and to Ae. bambusoides and can have dark-brindled leaves (not visible here).

 

Aechmea longicuspis (figs. 3 to 5) is often confused with Aechmea setigera and Aechmea kuntzeana. The latter should probably be considered as a variant of Aechmea longicuspis. It is certainly not a widely-known species but probably comes from Colombia through to Bolivia. It is a large species but is easily brought into flower when half-grown. We, Renate and I, saw it in Peru, on the road from Tarapoto to Yurimaguas, the upper reaches of the Amazon, at a height of about 300m (985'). We also saw it, relatively small and in bloom, beside a little restaurant in Yurimaguas. It has lovely black spines and long needles on the flower bracts, see fig. 5.

 

Fig. 3 t/m 5 Aechmea longicuspis , photos Eric Gouda