I forgot to add this one! He asked me to try and get a name for this one, please!

{{gwi:486861}}

Japie, I should probably do the smart thing and wait for the Gonzmeister to rule from on high, but I'm feeling foolish so I'll jump in and say that #1 may be the Tilly formerly known as meridionalis, which apparently goes under the name of T. recurvifolia these days. A quick search seems to indicate it is fairly variable, with bracts ranging from pink to orange.

#2: no clue.

Ah ha, with your help Lisa, I found the perfect match! Till recurvifolia var subsecundifolia - the same orangey kind of flower and the same NOT recurving leaves. Let's see if The Meister approves!

Japie

Guess ya don't need my help, recurv. v. subsec. it is. Now the second plant is choice, T. sprengeliana, a collector's plant. It can be quite finicky in it's requirements. I recently lost my only plant after 15 years. japie, let me know if your friend has any more, I'd love to replace it but it's not seen on the market or in collections regularly.

Thanks Gonzer! And that sprengeliana is the only little bit he has and he has it for quite a couple of years already. I think he said he got it in Mexico and had to beg very hard to get it! I'll ask him if he can remember from whom he got it.

Japie

Japie, you are lucky to have a friend like that. Sprengeliana is one of a group of small, dainty plants from So. America. (T. paraensis, globosa, geminiflora, gardneri, chapeuensis, grazielae, reclinata, sucrei, brachyphylla, heubergeri, thiekenii, kautskyi, organensis, and roseiflora. They are seldom offered due to their scarcity. Renate Ehlers made them the subject of the booklet "The Red-Flowered Tillandsias from Brazil" published by the German Bromeliad Society (translated by Uncle D.) and available through Amwyl. Good light and not too much water. Enjoy!

Gonzer, I do have a T geminiflora, but it is much larger than sprengeliana. Do I have another wrong ID or is this a larger growing one? The tag attached to it, is 8cm long.

When I got it:
{{gwi:486862}}

And here's what it looking like now. Does it mean it is ready to flower, or is it just the new growth in my environment that looks different? A Swiss Army knife added for size reference.

{{gwi:486863}}

Japie

ID tag + plant =
I don't think it's ready to flower, just pushing new leaves. The bleached-out look of the older leaves happens about that time. It is a slow grower Japie and an even slower bloomer. The stories behind some of the collecting expeditions are worthy of the "Man vs. Wild" TV show. One particular Brazilian species grows only in one location, on a sheer rock cliff, and to get to it collectors rappelled out of a helicopter {{gwi:443270}}...until the 'copter crashed!

Gonzer, I currently have 8 T. sprengeliana, in a few clumps, would you be interested a trade?

You bet Kyle, what are you looking/wanting/needing/wishing for?

Here are some of my T. sprengeliana,
{{gwi:486864}}
{{gwi:486865}}
{{gwi:486867}}

well gonzer, you've seen what I got, make me an offer. I would be interested in something along the same line as Ehlers describes. grazielae, brachyphylla, heubergeri, thiekenii, kautskyi, organensis. maybe somthing along those lines seems fair. let me know what you think. otherwise something just as cool and rare.