Only borrowed for illistration purposes only

I sure wish I could see a close-up of the floral structure (internal parts). I am still not convinced that this isn't a xNeotanthus, and Sharon agrees with me. It claims to be a cv. of Neo. 'Fairy Paint', which to me implies that it's a sport, but if you look in the registry it says "seed parent: Fairy Paint, pollen parent: ? ", so that sounds like it was crossed with something else. A hybrid made with something is not the same as a cultivar of it. I think somebody's not telling the whole story here.

It's still a cool plant, and it may not matter to most people whether it's a bigeneric or not, but I just want to know, because looking at the pictures of 'Fairy Paint' I can't see how it got from point A to point B. I guess I'll have to wait until the one I just got blooms and have a look at what Uncle Derek calls "the sex parts".

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:497942}}

I'll see if I can get one from Jan, mine wont bloom until mid spring. Shelldance isnt new, its re-introduced. I have been told it had its orgins in Calif, transported to the orient and landed in Australia many years later

I think it may be a Neomea , it came into Oz many years ago , a good mate has gotten hundreds of pups and it is pretty widespread now .

But if it's a Neomea, which Aechmea would it have crossed with, aroideana? It doesn't look like any that I can think of, but it sure has a lot of Cryptanthus characteristics.

Go look at Bob's thread on Crypts. He has a picture of 'Strawberries Flambe' that shows that same kind of darker colored margins, and there are other Cryptanthus that do that too. That, and the flat, open/twisty way the leaves grow, and the width and texture of the leaves all scream Crypt to me.

According to the story I was told it originated in the Shelldance Nursery in Calif (20 yrs ago)then sold to Singapore Botanic gardens and migrated from there. N.Granada was also mentioned in the story. The plant is solid medium green as a pup, if fertlized it will stay green and develope no color, in high light it turns red(like the one you have Lisa)30% shade it develoes the reddish maroon edges, the plant is tougher than a boot. It will take alot of abuse and still survive(including no water). The trip to my place from Australia proved that, only half the shipment (267 assorted plants at the start)survived US customs.

I found a pic of Shelldance in flower on an Aussie site.

http://www.bromeliad.org.au/

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:497943}}

That helps some, purplestar, but I still can't really see the floral structure. The pistil is the main thing I want to look at, since Crypt pistils are quite different from Neo pistils. I have to admit that externally it does look like a Neo inflorescence, so maybe it is just a mutant Neo.

Has anyone ever tried "screwing" this plant? My one plant is getting pretty tall and bushy and I'd really like to propagate it, but I'm afraid to take a screwdriver to it-- since there's not really any cup there'd be no place to put it and no room for error. Does it have to bloom before it pups? Maybe I should just Florel it.

Do No fertlize..its pups before and after bloom...pups form at the base and in the leaves..screw driver I didnt risk as the stem is thin but it makes alot of pups once it gets started

Hi Shell dance doesn't have to flower before it pups, mine has had 3 pups yet never flowered its about 18 months old so not sure why yours hasn't pupped.

you can see from 1st pic mum hasn't flowered yet i took the 3 pups off about 2 months ago, 1st 2 pics are of mum and last is of a pup off that plant

{{gwi:497946}}
{{gwi:497949}}

{{gwi:497951}}

Lisa, I have just picked a dead flowering centre from a shelldance. What part is it that you want a pic of? Oh and be very specific, I am not blonde but I should be.
I have taken heaps of pics but it would help if I knew what it is you wanted and also, would it be ok still if the flower is spent? Or did I just give myself a macro crash course just for fun? LOL

Sutto, I want the part that isn't dead! LOL

If I were a botanist and could remoisten the dried flower parts and put them under a microscope I might be able to tell something from that, but I'm not and I can't, so I'm afraid you're too late. Thanks all the same.

Aww and I disected a thingo and found one very straight hard bit too LOL Dear god but they stink to high heaven blerkk

Maybe next time then. Sorry I couldn't help.

Oh, well if you found a THINGO, then that's different! LOL

I just posted another thread that has a (rather crude) diagram of the parts of the flower. You might take a look at that, Sutto. What I wanted to see was the shape of the stigma. Crypts have a stigma that has 3 distinct lobes like a little pinwheel, whereas in Neos they coil around each other and the whole deal just looks like a little nub. They are very soft, delicate and tiny parts though, and I would be very surprised if you could see one at all in a dried specimen.

Well, that was fun LOL

I rehydrated a couple Lisa and with a great deal of hassle and lots of care and a jewelers loupe I believe I found something.
One flower had a small very distinct centre thing, with finer, longer "things" around it. At 20x magnification I can say that there is a knotted mass on the end of this "thing". Could I have found the right thing do you think?
If not, its OK, was a nice way to spend the children's first day back at school after holidays. Some quality "me" time.

I had close up bloom pictures up for over a week here...anyway its not bigeneric

I don't remember seeing any pictures that showed the shape of the stigma, HDD. If you have one I'd like to see it, but I agree that from the external view of the whole inflorescence it doesn't look bigeneric.