Hi Guys
I tend to grow Can. fosterianum potted & hanging in bright light, under pot also & allow to clump, does extremely well mounted in trees. I treat Ae. chantinii the same.

We used to have a Can. fosterianum var. Pardinum which is now considered to be a Can. triangular by Leme, this is a silver/grey form & slightly larger than the other green form with black tips.

I grow both Can. fosterianum & Can. triangular (pardinum)under the same light level, high light.

Can. triangular (green with black tips) I find prefers a much shadier, cooler position & possibly a little more moister.

Both the grey & green forms seem to enjoy being grown as clumps, when they flower you will be extremely satisfied & glad you left them as a clump.

Pinkbroms

Hi Guys,

With Canistrum triangulare (green/black tips), does this plant develop more black markings in brighter light? Or as it gets bigger?

I've seen some pictures where they have big black patches on the tips as well as scattered along the leaves - really spectacular, while other pictures show plants that are mainly green with just a little bit of black at the very tips and right at the base. Or maybe these are just different clones?

I bought one a couple of months ago and it's about 20cm across with lots of leaves but mainly just green - and I want to make it go nice and blotchy if I can! Any info would be great. Cheers, Paul

Paul, my C. triangulare is the black-tipped/splotched one and the black is very evident on even the youngest pups, perhaps even more so than on the adults in some cases. I have them in my shadehouses, both 40% and 60% shade, so that doesn't seem to be a major factor. Heavy feeding will produce a greener plant, however.

I don't know how much variation there is in this form, but mine is a small plant, never reaching 20 cm across. 12-15 seems about maximum. It's highly ornamental, but in all the years I've had it I've never once seen a bloom! A number of other Canistrums bloom here but not this one.

Here's C. triangulare in the 60% shadehouse. The newly potted one on the right is in a 6" pot, but the other two are in 5".

{{gwi:466567}}

Hey, does anyone recognize this species? Sorry it's not a very good picture but it's the best I could do. I got it with no name, but the person I got it from didn't think it was fosterianum. I'm wondering if it could be montanum? The leaves do have a bit of a black tip under brighter light conditions, but that has mostly disappeared here. I put it up on this tree years ago and promptly forgot about it, except when I walk by and see it blooming. It seems happy as a clam up there with zero care.

{{gwi:466568}}

Thanks Lisa, I was wondering how stoloniferous the pups were, all of the pictures I could find didn't really show it very well. Here is my triangulare. More green than the blotchy ones, but definitely has gotten darker with more markings with more sun. It is pretty much in nearly-full sun for the first 2/3rds of the day. I will probably eventually keep pushing it further into full sun to see...but maybe once I at least get a pup out of it.

{{gwi:466569}}

{{gwi:466570}}

And my fosterianum.
{{gwi:466571}}

{{gwi:466573}}

Hi Lisa

I checked Elton Leme's book, Bromeliads of the Atlantic Forest, 1997, your plants look good to be Can. montanum but need to see the petals first to be sure.

Canistrum montanum has rose-lilac upper half to the petals as opposed to white for Can. fosterianum.

The structure of the inflorescence's are distinctly different also, so a photo of this would help.

Pinkbroms

Hi again,

Lisa, that Canistrum triangulare of yours is a beauty - love that form and those markings, and really interesting to see that one of yours Andy, thanks.

Those pics of yours make me think that my one might have been grown soft and fast before I bought it - leaves are a lot longer and narrower and greener, even compared to the picture of its supposed parent that I finally managed to dig up. Here is my one, about 20cm across:
{{gwi:466574}}

I'll definitely give it the 'hard' treatment after having seen yours pics. It may well be too late for this plant, but hopefully when I give its pups the treatment, they will shape up and colour up a lot better.

Thanks for your help. Cheers, Paul

I have a feeling the petals may be already spent on this one, pinkbroms, it's been in bloom for a few months now. I'd need to get a ladder to check, but thanks for the information, I'll keep that in mind.

Paul, I agree it looks like your triangulare has had it too soft, but hopefully that will mean plenty of pups. Show the little ones some discipline if you want them to color up.