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Bromeliads
lisaclv

Porteas

20 years ago

Anyone else here growing Porteas? Love 'em!

Portea alatisepala, one of my favorite plants:

{{gwi:451490}}

They hybridize fairly easily, so of course I couldn't resist! I crossed alatisepala with one I got from Tropiflora long ago tagged only 'Pink Shadow', which seems to be what FCBS is now identifying as P. petropolitana v. noetigii (seems odd since it's so different from P. petropolitana v. extensa, but we'll go with that for now). At any rate, here is the hybrid, tentatively called Portea 'Ted Teves' (after my late friend, in whose yard the two parent plants were):

{{gwi:438176}}

Going back into the 35mm archives, here is another cross, this time with P. kermesina and P. petropolitana v. extensa:

{{gwi:438179}}

I am tentatively calling this Portea 'May Moir', after the talented woman who did all of the wonderful floral designs for the Honolulu Academy of Arts, late wife of orchid breeder and pioneer bromeliad collector W. W. Gooddale Moir.

I say "tentatively" because I haven't selected any cultivars from these crosses, haven't registered them or sold any plants. I bred them primarily for our own use as cut flowers, and the whole grex produces good flowers, so I haven't felt the need to make any selections. Since the protocol now is to register cvs. and not the whole grex, that creates a bit of a dilemma when you get a whole grex that is nice and doesn't show a lot of variation. I probably should do it anyway, though, just because nobody else seems to be working with Porteas for some reason. The only registered hybrids seem to be Aechmea crosses with P. leptantha, which is the least interesting species in the bunch, in my opinion. I much prefer the pinks and purples!

Comments (11)

  • 20 years ago

    And how long did this wonderful bloom take? Foliage is scrummmcious too

  • 20 years ago

    You're talking seed to bloom? I don't remember, but probably a couple of years.

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  • 20 years ago

    Here's TT as the bud is just opening. Kind of reminds me of a peony.

    {{gwi:495974}}

  • 20 years ago

    Lisa,I share your liking of Portias,and your hybrid is excellent! Their inflorescense's are rather spectacular,and I was in awe when I saw my first P.petro.'extensa' in full bloom...all four plants were in flower at the same time. This was at the Bot.Gdns.of course,as I have no room for them at home.
    The P.leptantha hardly seems to fit in with the others,more like an aechmea,as pictured in Baensch's 'Blooming Bromeliads' There are quite a few of the 'extensa' at the BG now,as they have been off-setting regularly,and we pot 'em up and put them out on display,as they get a lot of ooh's and ah's from the visitors when they are in bloom.Sometimes,"my gosh,what is that?".Here's a pic of a really small one that bloomed recently,in spite of its shrimpy size.
    Bob
    {{gwi:495975}}

  • 20 years ago

    thats not to bad a couple years 6-10yrs plant I pass on

  • 20 years ago

    I've got an unidentified one Lisa, I'll post it later. It too is a candidate for hdd's 'carnivorous' plant post.

  • 20 years ago

    Lisa,that pic of TT,on the flower's left lower side,it looks like a tiny hand reaching up....a flower child ?

  • 20 years ago

    Lisa I know another "Protea" and I think it looked alike yours..LOL
    It is funny that some botanical name would make a confuse!
    This pic I took near the Harold Porter Nat. Botanical Garden while I visited Cape of Good Hope, Western Cape, South Africa this August.

    {{gwi:495976}}

    {{gwi:495977}}

  • 20 years ago

    Those are great Protea pics, Stephania! People are always getting the two genera mixed up. It helps a little bit that people in Hawaii pronounce Protea "pro-TAY-ah", though. It makes it easier to differentiate it from a "POR-tee-uh". But still people tell us "I've never seen a Protea that looks like that!"

    We sell the flowers, so we have quite a few plants. Here is a *very* old picture of some odd people pretending to harvest P. petropolitana that was taken by the HI Dept. of Agriculture for use in one of their brochures-- back when you could still walk between the rows, and didn't have to hack your way through with a sickle like you do now! ;-)

    {{gwi:495978}}

    Bob, I don't know what that little "hand" is. I noticed that too. Very odd.....

  • 20 years ago

    Porteas are our #2 outdoor bromeliad here. Yearround, no worries. 100F? 20F? No worries!

  • 20 years ago

    One more picture of the bud of P. 'Ted Teves':

    {{gwi:495979}}

    These are all starting to pop right now, and they're so pretty I almost wish the bud wouldn't open up any more than that!

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