JG, That's one fine look'n plant. I've always had a likeing for it,but it takes up too much room for me in my limited space indoors.Difficult to keep during the winter months too. I've found another photo of it in the 'Blooming Bromeliads'book (pg.226),and I've taken a pic of it to post here,and it shows it in bloom. Also added an old photograph of my Vriesea ospinae var. gruberi,which is another eye pleaser you might like.Got that one at Tropiflora too. The write up on the kupperiana says "the inflorescence is over 1 m. in hight,opens its cream-colored flowers late in the evening.The offshoot grows from the side of the infl.,and eventually takes over the site occupied by the mother plant,so that the latter's withered leaves have to be removed at a later stage.Cultivation : large basket or pot with additional lateral holes;highly permeable potting substrate,light and mesic.Habitat;Near Cartago,Costa Rica to Ecuador,usually on pines." Congrats on acquiring a neat plant,and to heck with the price when it makes you happy.So you skip a few meals eating out,it all evens up. God won't ask you how much money you saved,but will ask what you bought with it.And He Loves plants ! Bob Photo:

You're not embarassing yourself at all, Patris, and I'm glad to see you using the FCBS index. The only thing is it's set up so that you can't post a picture that you've found from the index because the URL doesn't change when you click the thumbnails. Next time, copy the name of the plant you've found, google it and do an image search and you can post that picture because they apparently have a different data base for that. Not sure how that works but I just recently figured that out myself. Alcantarea odorata is not a bad guess. It is in the right branch of the family and has a lot of similar characteristics. One difference I see, though, is that your plant is glossy green on the upper surface of the leaves and not silver. Also you describe it as feeling kind of velvety. There are different kinds of whitish or silvery coatings and it is hard to distinquish from a picture which one you have, but a fuzzy texture usually indicates well-developed trichomes (leaf scales) and this is very characteristic of a lot of Tillandsias. The silvery-leaved Alcantarea species have more of a glaucous (powdery) coating to them, which would feel smooth, and the leaf would not be thick or succulent. That is true of some Tillandsias too (although not most), and all of the Catopsis, so I have now crossed that genus off my list as well-- also because of the larger size and not finding a good match. The Alcantarea gets to be 6 or 7 feet tall, I think, so that's bigger than what you've got too, although size can vary. The Alcantareas are a really confusing bunch anyway, at least as far as the names go. There's a lot of them that don't fit neatly into any of the described species. I grew some from seed that my husband collected in Brazil and according to Harry Luther (at the Bromeliad Identification Center) they are all part of a probable "hybrid swarm" and can't be nailed down. I still think Derek Butcher is right and you have some kind of Tillandsia. Tillandsias comprise the single biggest genus in the family and the variations are endless, so that's not surprising. I'm not sure what Derek's title would be aside from being the official cultivar registrar for the BSI, but "guru" would be a reasonable description. He knows plenty and likes to delve into the minutia of what distinguishes one species from another. BTW, now that you are becoming more knowledgeable, please do me a favor and erase the phrase "air plant" from your memory bank. Even the smallest most epiphytic Tills need more than just air, so that's really a misnomer. That, and saying "bromel-AID" are big no-nos in my book! ;-) Here is a link that might be useful: Alcantarea odorata

We love Costa Rica! We stayed at the (Marriott) Hotel Los Suenos which is right on the beach on the Pacific side and is a very good hotel surrounded by a network of pools. It is very pretty and has good food. We went on a zip line canopy tour and on a kayak trip that included snorkeling off some rocks. The fish were incredibly colorful! One of our best memories was a visit to Villa Caletas which is one of the most romantic and beautiful places you can imagine. They have a Roman style amphitheater built into the hillside where you can sit, enjoy a drink and watch the most fabulous sunsets over the Pacific 1000 feet below, while listening to stirring music. The restaurant is good too. We intend to return to Costa Rica and would love to stay at Villa Caletas! Please check out the photos on the link below. Here is a link that might be useful: Villa Caletas Costa Rica

Neil - I really appreciate the hunting spirit, but I think I should stop at 2 Lauii(s). I stopped by my local Lowe's yesterday, and amidst all my whining, they restocked! I took out my phone and went into frenzy mood snapping everything. They had quite a few varieties that caught my eye - Chihuahuaensis, Agavodies x Pulidonis, Neon Breaker, Sunburst. In the end, I caved and got myself a Pachyeveria Exotica 'Powder Puff' for $3. Their bigger size plants were going for $5. (crazy prices, had to talk myself out multiple times before I put them down) Will post a report with pics on another thread. Azt - Looking forward to all your crazy cacti blooms! There were a couple of Mammillaria Gracillis Fragilis bulbs that "happen to fall into my Pachyveria's Pot", so I'm attempting to root them and hopefully grow them.