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

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

From Newsletter 82 - January 2016

Report on the Autumn Meeting on Sunday October 11th, 2015.

From 10 o'clock on this lovely autumn day thirty-five members of our group met together in the Conservatory of the Utrecht Botanical Gardens. Lots of plants that had been brought for the raffle were displayed on long tables. While enjoying coffee, tea and biscuits – as usual organised by the Gouda family – the members greeted one another and admired all the plants that had been brought for the raffle as well as those brought for the upcoming plant discussion.

At 11 o'clock the chairman, Eric Gouda, opened the house-keeping meeting by welcoming everyone. He expressed his satisfaction with the high turnout and the many plants that had been brought and were on display. In addition to Eric, Piet van Beest, the treasurer, and Roel Tomassen, the secretary, were present on behalf of the Board.

Fig. 1 During the meeting in the Conservatory of the Utrecht Botanical Gardens, photo Roel Tomassen

The treasurer announced that at that moment there were 72 registered members, one member having recently discontinued his membership. He then indicated that he was satisfied with the way in which members' payment of their dues was currently progressing. The financial situation of the BCG was healthy. In connection with this, the treasurer and the chairman then said that they were considering:

a. Giving more publicity to the BCG, for example with some kind of flyer which could be distributed.
b. Possibly designing an information booklet (in a handy format) explaining how to cultivate Bromeliads. This would support the aims of the group.

These plans, with any associated costs, would be further worked out and presented to the members in due course. The chairman also emphasized that the members could put their own ideas about projects to the board. He also said that the wikidocs facility for exchanging information, which had been down for some time, would be restored.

The chairman then brought up the BCG's affiliation to the Deutsche Bromelien Gesellschaft (DBG, German Bromeliad Society) and to the Bromeliad Society International (BSI). He showed the most recent issue of Die Bromelie (the DBG magazine) and commended both its many interesting articles and its beautiful photographs. Strongly recommended for the Bromeliad-lover!

Fig. 2, 3 & 4 The plant discussion by the chairman Eric Gouda, photos by Roel Tomassen

There were no criticisms or comments about the report of the Spring Meeting of April 12th 2015 (Newsletter 80), so this was approved.

The next point was the question of excursions, as discussed in the invitation for this meeting. The Board had the impression that members showed more interest in visits to botanical gardens than to specialist Bromeliad or Tillandsia nurseries. The questions was then whether in the future we should not restrict ourselves to organizing visits to botanical gardens.

In relation to this, Ed Gerritse mentioned the possibility of members of the BCG, if they wished, joining up with the excursions organized by various orchid societies to visit specific nurseries. There are often, in his experience, (many) unoccupied seats in the bus and the organizers are happy if introducés go along (paying their own expenses of course). Many members of the BCG are also members of an orchid society and so could pass the information about any excursions to the BCG members.

Fig. 5 & 6 Raffle by Ina and Renate, photos Roel Tomassen

MaryRose considered that the, for many people, generally very busy Spring period was not the most favourable time to organize excursions. Further, she felt that the date of any projected excursion should be announced much earlier than usual. And finally, she thought that most specialised nurseries were in general more difficult to reach by public transport, on which she herself was dependent. Renting a bus would not be possible for our group in view of the very wide geographical spread of the members. Arranging some form of 'car-pooling' would mean sending round a list of excursion participants sufficiently in advance. This would not seem easy to do.

All things considered, the Board felt that organizing a visit to a botanical garden should in future be limited to once a year. A plan for 2016 would be made. The members were thanked for their suggestions so far and were told that the Board is still open to suggestions.

In 2016, the Spring Meeting will be on Sunday March 28th and the Autumn Meeting on Sunday October 9th, both in the Conservatory of the Utrecht Botanical Garden.

In Other Business, Peter Bak drew everyone's attention to the festival of flowers and plants (Floraliën Gent) to be held in Ghent, Belgium, from April 22nd to May 1st 2016. Hugo Claessen announced that the Orchid Festival (“Orchideeënspektakel”) would be held at the National Botanical Garden of Belgium at Meise from October 31st to November 29th 2015.

After this came the plant discussion. First, Roel Tomassen described the various Bromeliads he had brought for the raffle and also some seedlings of Aechmea racinae (the Christmas Jewel). Any interested members could take a few plantlets to grow to maturity at home. Eric Gouda then discussed various Tillandsia species including duratii, crocata x albertiana (fig. 3), ionantha, capitata, latifolia var. divaricata, fasciculata, araujei var. minima (fig. 4), harmsiana, raackii and welzii and also Gerard van Heusden's branch with Vriesea guttata plants. He further showed an epiphyte branch (fig. 2) he had made using coir (fibrous mats from the coconut palm).

Fig. 7 & 8 Raffle and plant advice, photo Roel Tomassen

During lunch, Ina Brinkkemper and Renate Gouda made an enjoyable affair of raffling the plants members had brought for the purpose. Almost all those present became happy owners of “something new”!

In the afternoon, Piet van Beest took everyone on a journey through Belize and Guatemala. It was an exciting trip 'langs ongebaande klingen' (literally 'past inaccessible bare hills') with beautiful images of many (flowering) plants, Bromeliads of course and a variety of orchids. There were also many kinds of amphibians, butterflies, birds and other animals that crossed Piet's path.

This was the end of this Autumn Meeting. Chairman Eric thanked Piet very much for his fascinating lecture and presented him with a “tasty” token of our appreciation. He then thanked everyone for their attendance and wished them a safe journey home.

On behalf of the Board,

Roel Tomassen: text

Eric Gouda: layout

Translation: MaryRose Hoare