Argh, that @#%*! Ortgeisia alliance again!

Read the article below. If it's a species, it falls into section 2. I'd say either a form of Ae. cylindrata or a hybrid of it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ortgiesia

Sorry Todd, I have nothing good or worthwhile to add about the ID of your plant. But...

Ha ha, good thing I didn't post asking about this one Lisa!

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But I thought it was a neat color combo with the three different colors of the bracts, sepals, and petals.

lol, fair enough - had a feeling it was going to end up as a cylindrata hybrid 'ofsomesort'. At least on this shopping trip I only ended up with one Noid. s l o w l y learning.. ;-)

The ortgiesia article was interesting, but now has me questioning another of mine which had been named as a form of comata. Further down the slippery slope :-s

Hi Todd,

Judging by my Ae. cylindrata I'd say that's what it is.

My Ae. cylindrata for comparison.

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All the best, Nev.

Yikes, Andy! That looks like section 1, but doesn't match any of those species, so I'm thinking hybrid. Of what and what is another story. This group intergrades and interbreeds so easily it can be really hard to nail them down sometimes.

One of my earliest "hybridizing" experiments was to rub the flowers of Ae. gamosepala and what I presume was kertesziae together and plant the seeds. These things self too, so I don't know that they all crossed, but I got a whole rainbow of pinks, oranges, yellows, whites, and different shades of blue. I know others who have done the same, either intentionally or just idly collecting seeds that insects may have pollinated. They're easy to grow from seed, so there likely are tons of these unnamed, unpedigreed offspring floating around and informally changing hands. Trying to ID one against a limited set of named cvs. on FCBS is a joke. You have to keep reminding yourself that much of what is being grown is not going to be on there.

Oh, oh, oh...I found a lead. Sorry for hijacking this post Todd, but with the petal color what do you guys think about mine being a Quesmea 'Amanda' or 'Amanda Too'?

And Todd, how big is your plant you know as comata, size might help tell whether it is a hybrid or not...most of the ortgiesias (at least that I have been exposed to) with a compact inflorescence are quite a bit smaller than what I know as comata.

Sorry, thumbs down on the Amandas, Andy. Look at those little spiky green appendages on the sepals of your plant, then look at Amanda. She no mo' get! (pardon my pidgin) ;-)

Yeah, after I got all excited I went out and looked at the color as the flowers opened more...I got pretty suspicious simply by that. But it was fun to get me all excited about possibly getting an ID. Guess it'll just go back into the 'Ortgiesis X' category.

Hi sdandy,
bit of a slow reply - I'm in oz at the mo, borrowing connections,laptops etc
The one I'm now questioning was labelled A. comata Makoyana, but I'm pretty sure it's a form of caudata instead - inflorescence branched at the base. I have A. caudata, and variegated and albomarginated forms of it too, but the one in question is much taller with leaves around a metre long, finely striped and quite narrow. A distinctive feature is that the pups have a reddish tinge on the heel. The plant does look a lot like the A. comata Makoyana pic on fcbs photo index, but bigger.
Is anyone here familiar with the differences between A. caudata var. variegata and A. caudata variegated?
Cheers, Todd

Hmmm, the size and branched inflorescence sounds caudata-like, but with narrow leaves? And sending out reddish pups? Caudata should have much wider and round/blunt tips and I would describe as 'softer' than the Makoyana. The big beast that I think of as caudata could be another plant in that group, but it is quite a bit bigger than comata Makoyana. I would compare and describe Makoyana leaves to distichantha--stiff, pointy, and sharp as h@*$! Does your plant have spines along the length of the leaf? Wonder if it could be a Makoyana x caudata and keep the reddish pups? Post a picture when you get a chance, sounds like quite a plant.
-andy

Thanks for that Andy. It doesn't have sharp, stiff leaves.It has wee curved teeth along the leaf edges, but nothing too serious - I'll post some pics when I'm back home early next week.
Cheers, Todd

Okay, back at home - no more holidaying :-(
Here are some pics I have which I hope help identify what it is:
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The petals are yellow - didn't manage to get a good shot of them open though.

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Unfortunately, none of the pups which have appeared through Winter have the reddish tinge I mentioned earlier. It could be that's a result of higher temperatures/light levels (?)