A New Brazilian Species: Neoregelia amandae WEBER 1979 by WILHELM WEBER in J. Brom. Soc. 30(6): 269-70. 1980
When you import bromeliads directly from collectors in the tropics, there are two . possibilities. Either you order species which you would like to grow in your collection (you sometimes get them correctiy named), or you request an assortment of unidentified plants. If you enjoy surprises you choose the second course, because you thereby have a chance to acquire some unusual and seldom cultivated species along with a majority of common forms. You may even get a species heretofore unknown to science. In such an unidentified collection which I got in 1974 from Lotus Osiris in Brazil I found a few new species, of which I will here present a little neoregelia which I described in Bradea vol. III (1979), pp. 26-28 and named Neoregelia amandae in honor of the collector Amanda Bleher .
The plant in question is one of the stoloniferous forms and is approximately as large as or a little bit larger than Neoregelia ampullacea. The few1eaves form an upright, tubular rosette, but the upper third is somewhat flared. The color is comparable to that of the leaves of N. cyanea, although the leaves are wider and the tips are rounded and apiculate. The sheaths are olive to brownish red on the outside and have closely adpressed scales; the scale cells are arranged in barely detectable cross bands.
As in all neoregelias the inflorescence is hidden deep in the rosette. Probably for this reason several similar species have been overlooked in the past, because we often do not notice the inflorescence or do not look at the flowers closely. In July, 1978, I found the first blooming specimen in my collection, and I first noticed the pure white flowers, whose petals were each decorated in the middle with three light green longitudinal lines. I found that suspicious and therefore used a scalpel to remove the inflorescence from the tube-shaped vase and sketched the plant and the parts of the flower .
Attempts at identification brought no results, and that strengthened my suspicion that I had an unidentified species. I sent my sketch and the diagnosis to Dr. L. B. Smith for his opinion. Dr. Smith confirmed that it was a hitherto unidentified species.
You bromeliad fans can see from this tale that you can discover new species without having to make an expedition into the tropics personally .
Neoregelia amandae does not exactly belong to the spectacular species, but because of its small size and the fast stoloniferous growth it is especially suitable for hobbyists with little room for their collection. N. amandae is not difficult to grow. It grows vigorously and withstands rather low temperatures - a further advantage in these days of increasing energy costs and shortages. Because of the stolons you should select a flat dish for a pot or else attach the plant to some contorted branch with an epiphyte planting medium - if possible along with other -small species such as N. ampullacea, N. pauciflora, or N. 'Fireball' and small epiphytic ferns, for example. Thus you can conjure a little epiphytic garden.
If you want to increase your holding of such stoloniferous neoregelias quickly, it is best to plant them in rather large flats:. I use flat styrofoam containers of the type used to pack instruments and small apparatuses. They have the advantage that they do not deteriorate in the greenhouse as fast as wooden flats; unlike clay dishes,they produce no cooling through .evaporation and thus keep the roots warmer and thereby speed growth.
When the pups are large enough and are well rooted, I cut the woody stolons midway without removing the plants and, replanting them. Thus the mother plants are encouraged to produce more pups. The reproduction rate increases. Regular weak fertilizing speeds the growth considerably. Not until the plants fill the flats and are crowded do I remove them and plant them in new flats ca. 10 to 15 cm. apart. —SeeBradea
