That looks like one hard grown phanerophlebia. I have the rubra type (allegedly) one in a pot and one on a tree. Neither is as scurfy as that.

Mike,

Great looking plants, I'd love to get a carcharodon of any type.

Your unnamed Vriesea looks exactly the same as the cover plant on Steens book the connoisseurs's guide, unfortuately I have only borrowered the book and the way it is covered blocks out the cover plants name.

Cheers,

Rick

Hi Mike,
Great haul; I love the Vriesea what ever it is.
Thanks for sharing your pic's, all the best, Nev.

Very nice haul, Mike!

I also got a phanerophlebia rubra a while back. It had beautiful, dark colour but the plant looked as is needed some food, so I give it a little bit of food to aim for nice form and some wider leaves. It promptly went GREEN! So be careful if you want to keep that colour! But mine is growing nicely and slowly coming back into colour. And as Kerry suggested, give it lots of sun - I find I must try and avoid midday sun as that has a bleaching effect. I do like the much thicker leaves and more spines than the regular phanerophlebia!

Here's some pictures of the phases mine were going through:

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Japie

Don't you just love a successful hunting trip! They look great. I'm especially envious of the Vriesea and the Rainbow. I also spy a what looks like a very interesting Neo. behind the new 'Chubby' - on the left, dark red with darker zonation - what is it? Cheers, Paul

Don't ya just love shopping spree's?

Nice haul, Mike!

Rick - Great minds think alike! When I brought it home I had the same realization about Steens' book. I quickly checked it out but it only says that the cover Vriesea is an unnamed hybrid of the 'Royal Hawaiian' line. My particular plant is from a mixed lot however, so even though it looks similiar it is most certainly a different plant.

Japie - Thanks for the tips on the Ae. phanerophlebia. The red on yours is really starting to pop! I've seen several fantastic pictures of this species posted here so I had to pick one up.

Paul - That is Neo. 'Tunisia'. It has done surprisingly well for me and has grown much more compactly than many others I've seen.

Neo. 'Tunisia'
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Mike, I got Tunisia a while back and it's got much bigger than I thought it would get. It also takes an incredible amount of sun. It seems to give me a pup every year but hasn't flowered yet.

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Yeah Tunisia is a great sun plant-mine just seems to be growing and growing, also so sign of flowering, so far I have taken 5 pups off in the last year...cant complain about that!

Dennis

Is that Tunisia available in Australia I wonder?I have not seen it.
Love it Love it
now i need one....lol

Hi Mike and all, thanks for the info re 'Tunisia'. Definitely be keeping my eyes open for that one. Cheers, Paul

Oh yes Neo Tunisia is in Oz; I have one that takes pride of place in my shadehouse...love it to bits!

Hi bromaholic,

What days do you go out? Just so I know when to come around and pick it up for my collection.

(Just joking) All the best, Nev.

Hey Nev...I go out often; so Forrest my Alsatian will show you where it is!

Haaaaahaaaaaaaaa

Hi Shane where did you get your Tunisia from was it the other Shane ? That ones been on my wish list for a while now. I Just won myself a Groves Red Tiger from Shane Zaghini so the next Bromeliad on my list is Tunisia.