Hi everyone.

Stan - Neo. 'Carolinae Tricolor' has been around for a long time having been
bred by Mulford Foster in 1944. http://registry.bsi.org/genus=NEOREGELIA&id=13225#13225

It can be considered as one of the “Golden
Oldies” and can still be found growing in many collections worldwide today.

Like many variegated plants both old and new, the production of plain coloured pups
isn’t uncommon as it’s very hard to get a completely stable variegated plant.

The usual way of treating these plain coloured pups is to remove them as soon as
you realise they aren’t variegated, as this gives the Mother plant more of a
chance to produce more pups, hopefully with variegation.

It’s often said that these non-variegated pups will never again produce variegated
plants like their Mother although I have had it happen on a few occasions (not
often) with plain coloured pups from a variegated Mother plant called Neo. ‘Perfection’,
another old Mulford Foster hybrid bred prior to 1978. http://registry.bsi.org/?genus=NEOREGELIA&id=6276#6276

So whether you keep the plain pups or toss them like many growers do, is entirely
up to you.

All the best, Nev.

I think I did see it in one of those 1950's edition of Exotica,Nev. I have more then my share of the old standards even without a large collection of broms.

I couldn't throw them away,so they are now nestled at the base of a nice looking Howea of mine. I wondered about if the pups of it would turn out to be variegated. Just wait and see.

Hi everyone.

Stan – Yes, just “Just wait and see” is probably the best way to go.

Interestingly, I have a plant called Neoregelia ‘Orange Flush’ which is a cultivated variety of Neo. Carolinae.

See: http://registry.bsi.org/?genus=NEOREGELIA&id=6130#6130

Every time these plants produce pups, one is variegated and the other just plain orange in colour. This hasn’t changed through three generations, but it isn’t a problem though, because both the variegated and non-variegated types are both attractive plants and worth keeping.

This plant on the potting bench shows the old Mother has died just leaving the two pups, one variegated and the other one plain.

Neoregelia 'Orange Flush'

Neoregelia 'Orange Flush' NOVAR (No Var-iegation)

All the best, Nev.