Not fair!!!!!!!!!!!

As always those are just to awesome for words.
One of these days I'm coming to visit you Stephania, I so want to see these beauties in person.
Thanks for sharing the pictures.
Patris

Thanks for the inspiring pics Stephania. Your plants color up so well in your great year-round growing conditions,while mine revert to mostly green during our poor winter lighting.After seeing those,I have a few more to add to my 'want list'.I've had an order placed with Tropiflora since mid January for some nice looking 'spiney' guys,but had to put it on hold due to the deep freeze the N.E.has been in now for 3 weeks.:(
So I'm getting kinda 'itchy' for some return to normal,and
hoping for an early Sprintime.
Your photos were a much needed morale boost,thanks.
Bob
PS: Patris,if you visit Stephania,I'd better go too,so you don't bring home most of his collection ! (I want it !)

Hey Stephania...A new listing today on FCBS,for Bromelia
karatas, You NEED this one for 'guarding' your collection!

http://fcbs.org/images/Bromelia/Bromelia_karatas_Asmuss2.jpg
Its the lower photo taken by Asmuss...Wow ! what a spread!

If I recall right,from an article read a long time ago,was'nt 'Karatas' an early name (1800's) given to what we now call 'bromeliads'? Or was it only for 'bromelia'? (anyone ?)
Bob

Welcome, Patris & Bob !

LOL...right Bob, that 'Karatas' could make a good fence !!
And I also love the neat, Bromelia agavifolia(?), in another Patris's post.

Hey Bob, I have to tell you that, what my friend has already got for me
from FL (Michael & Tropiflora) and CA (Bill Baker)
are a great shipment of xeric for this year.
They will arrive here on Valentine !!! That's my true beloved.

Wow, beautiful presentation as always, Stephania-- I love the "dusk til dawn" theme!

BTW the Sept-Oct '06 issue of the Journal just arrived yesterday (!!!!) with your beautiful pictures from the Royal Expo. The Nov-Dec '06 issue arrived a few days earlier, I'm not sure what's going on with that. It's February, guys....... ;-)

Bob, I remembered the name Karatas as an early synonym too, but couldn't remember the details. I came across this article by Jason Grant that discusses the origin of all the genus names. You might find it interesting. I guess Karatas only refers to genus Bromelia, although I thought I'd seen it applied to some early Neos too. It's interesting that he's doing all this work in Alaska-- not usually considered a bromeliad haven, but I guess herbarium specimens can survive anywhere!

Here is a link that might be useful: An Annotated Catalogue of the Generic Names of the Bromeliaceae

Very nice combo set stephania. Im sure the Valentine's combo's will be very nice . Post pictures

Bob, you make the reservations and I'll drive the get away car er I mean I'll rent a car!

I have got to get one of those yellow glows. such an impressive color and so different from the rest.

Lisa,thanks for posting the link on bromeliad generic names.I did find it interesting,and still have a lot more to read. Looks like karatas did become bromelia,and another synonym for karatas is plumieri,which a b/w photo is shown on pg.43 of V.Padilla's book 'Bromeliads'.
'Can reach 9 feet in diameter,with 6 ft.leaves,and grows taller than most people.Can be used as a protective property barrier.' (no kidding!)
[Perfect for your yard,Stephania]

And regarding broms in Alaska?...well the Great Lakes area of the U.S. was far colder than Alaska this past week. Today,Anchorage is sunny and 23F,and we are 9F and its snowin'and blowin'. Makes us Really appreciate our Summers.
Thanks for the info Lisa,
bob

Lisa, 'Dusk till Dawn'... is that good for naming one of your hybrids,
so you should select one LOL :-)
Actually, Andrew Flower (I really love his name!) the editor of BSI journal,
asked me to use some of my pic in the jaurnal
and he, so kind, sent me two copies few months ago.
When I got it, I was so surpise, as my pic is on the cover !
(In fact, he should told me first, because I would select the better one. LOL)

I hope so HDD, BTW my friend couldn't find Dyckia 'Dakota', next time I'm quite sure
that you could help me for this :)

Patris, you will also love what I gonna try to select here, a cimera variegated form.
If it become stable, I will name it Dyckia 'Golden Jubilee'

{{gwi:444212}}

Bob, I also found in V. Padilla The Bromeliads on page 9 :

"...When Father Charles Plumier, a French explorer, visited the West Indies in the last years of the 17th century, he became familiar with a large thorny plant, In a shape of a rosette, that the natives called "Karatas".

On his return to his homeland, he decided to give a dignity that the Indian name did not carry : and so he renameed it "Bromelia", in honor of Olaf Bromel, a swedish botanist. No one know whether Mr. Bromel knew about this honor, but it is doubtful that he ever saw the plant to which his name was given.

This name was made officil when Carolus Linnaeus, to whom we are indepted for the present binomial system, established the genus Bromelia in 1753..."

Thanks for the suggestion, Stephania, I'm adding that to my list. Where were you a month ago when I was naming all my hybrids? I needed help!!! I've got most of them named now, but there will always be more. I have a Bill. 'Midnight Sun', so that's kind of related.....

Speaking of the origin of botanical names, I remember reading somewhere that the genus Tillandsia was named after someone (a botanist?) named Tillands who was deathly afraid of water, and it was thought that Tillandsias were very xeric too, hence the name. Has anyone else heard that one? I've looked everywhere and can't find where I read that, it's been driving me nuts!

Another (non-bromeliad) botanical in-joke: the genus Commelina (of the Commelinaceae, or Wandering Jew family) has flowers with 3 petals-- two of which are blue and healthy-looking, and one of which is white and shrivelled. It was named after the 3 Commelina brothers-- two of whom were botanists and one wasn't. ;-)

stephania Dakota is rare, unstable and expensive. There are only 45(all here in Texas)of the plants in existance to date. The plant is named after my good friend's grandson

Always, with pleasure Lisa,just show me your plant pics,
so I could have some idea for the name and so funny story about nomenclature :)-

HDD, sometimes we prefer to afford as much as we could,for something special.
Such as this time, I have given my friend some pocket money (3,000 US $ )
not include carrying.
for finding xeric I want in US. That's almost a half of my last year bonus ;(

What a fun way to spend your bonus Stephania and yes your correct am very impressed with Golden Jubilee. Have not seen much in the way of impressive dyckias. Are there just not as many people in love with them?

Here is a rather off the wall question and as always please excuse my ignorance.
Can you take say a neophytum firecracker and cross with a dyckia? They do resemble a dyckia in many ways and the color is so intense I thought this would be gorgeous. I have one that should be blooming soon and wanted to know if it would be worth a try!

Patris, in my opinion, I think it would be impossible,
as they belong to differrent subfamily.
But, anyways, I have heard someone in CA had tried to cross
Neoglaziovia with a Dyckia,
as he want a cross banded on Dyckia leaves.
Don't know it done or not.

Well,Stephania,you found the article that I read long ago about 'karatas',but did'nt remember where I had read it,when I posted above.Thanks for the 'wake-up-call'
Now I can stop wondering where I saw it.
Your variegated dyckia pic above is excellent,and I hope you can produce some offsets like it.(patris and bob need one)
When you get your 'Valentine' present,be sure to give us a photo display. And if you would send me the other half of your bonus,I would be very pleased to see what I could do to expand your already marvelous collection :^))
Thousands of nurseries to visit,....think of the possibilities!
No hurry,just meditate about it tho. (lol)
Bob

stephania I'm checking to see how I can ship to you from here and assuming I can get another Dakota. I will let you know and remember this is an unstable plant still

Thank you very much for your regard, HDD,
please let me know, as my friend would be in CA till Valentine before back to Bangkok,
but for sure I will ask him first, if he will back a bit earlier or not,
so we could make a proper arrangement.
I realize this type of variegated, striata, sometimes would not be stable,
but whenever it is 'Dakota', I definitely accept.

My e-mail : chaninthorut@yahoo.com