Here is a photo.

[IMG]http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh219/Brodklop/Guzsanguinea.jpg[/IMG]

Hi Brodklop ,well in order to get seed from your Guz,sanguinea you need 2 plants as all but one variety are self sterile , ( the form thats not sterile is the small dark brown reddish form ) so unless you can get a second plant that is in flower ? dont bother ,in if you do a crossing with a different Guz or vriesea or Tillandsia you will not inherit the beautifull red and yellow coloration ,sorry but thats it
Jack

Thanks Vriesea for your response. I know someone who has one in flower at the moment. Her plant is from the same batch as mine. Maybe we can swap pollen.
Looking at the FCBS site Guzmania sanguinea and Guzmania sanguinea var. brevipedicellata look very similar. From what I have read the size of mine seems to fit the var. brevipedicellata dimentions. What is the small dark brown reddish forms name. Does it have a variety name.
I'll try and post a photo. I made a mess of my last attempt.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:474108}}

Hi Guys

brodklop, I have commented on here about this same issue before re Guz. sanguinea & it goes for any other plants you wish to get seed from, if you tickle it yourself you may or may not get seed but atleast you increase your chances rather than just hopeing mother nature does it for you, using the pollen from your friends plant increases your chances even more, nothing tried is nothing gained so try everything you can to increase your chances of success.

Pinkbroms

Very good photo ,the name of the reddish brown one escapes me at the moment ,but yours is not it ,as Pinkbroms said ,DONT rely on nature ,do it your self ,but if you can get pollen from your friends plant ? great ,use it while fresh ,its not that difficult to grow from seed ,
Jack

My Guzmania sanguinea is selfpolonizing.Maybe you have such a plant , The var brevipedicelata that i have is not making seeds .

Regards bert

Thanks guys for your comments. I will certainly give it a good tickle. As well as try for some pollen from elswhere.

The big question is, is it a Guzmania sanguinea or Guzmania sanguinea var brevipedicelata.

Cheers
Brod

Hi Brod,

I'm pretty sure your plant is Guzmania sanguinea.

In Australia, the smaller dark brown reddish form, to which Jack referred, is labeled Guzmania var. brevipedicellata - but it differs to those named and shown as such on the FCBS photo index. I don't know which is correct, or if both still fit within the descriptive code for that variety - anyone?
The variety we grow by that name only grows to approx. 25cm (10") wide, and its leaves have dark stripes/striations. It is not as colourful as G. sanguinea in flower.

I hope your plant is successfully "tickled" into pollination. Good luck.

K :)

Me again.

I just found this photo in my older files. I grew this plant several years ago.
This is the Australian version (correct or otherwise?) of Guzmania sanguinea var. brevipedicellata. The plant in photo is post-flowering.

{{gwi:474122}}

K :)

Hi Guys

Colour doesn't seem to come into the difference much only size, var. brevipedicellata to 200mm & sanguinea to 400mm, however the plant we generally grow here in Aust. as var. brevipedicellata is a smaller grower & has a darker centre.

B-A how did you go with your attempt at tickling last season, did you get any seed.

Pinkbroms

nah! I tickled and tickled but the new pup took over and the old mums flowers and inflorescence turned to muck! no seeds. Still, the new pup is now flowering, so six months from old to new is great! Good value. The colour is much more vibrant than when I purchased it.
I was thinking of trying to find another plant from a different source, but then wondered why I want seeds anyway? I mean, how many broms can one girl have?
BA
Here it is this month
{{gwi:474123}}

Hi B-A

Looking good, shame about the seed.

Pinkbroms

That is good value BA. Basicaly flowering every 6 months or so. Nice photo
Does anyone know what time of the day the stigma is recepive to pollen.
Great photo Kerry. You are growing this as an epiphyte by the looks. This is the reason I want to grow lots so I can plaster a palm trunk with them.

Brod

Try pollinating between 10 am and 12 noon ,that worked for me , warm days are better than cool days ,
Jack

Beautiful photo, B.A.! I wish my G. sanguinea grew and flowered that quickly.

Brod - I looked on your "my page" to find out where you lived, and I see you are a fellow Aussie. Not only that, but we share the same birthday!

In what area do you live? If you are lucky enough to live in the warm subtropics or tropics, and get plenty of rain, then your dream of G. sanguinea growing epiphytically en masse on a palm trunk could come true. What a spectacular sight that would be!

My garden gets plenty of natural rainfall, as evidenced by the native ferns and lichen growing on the branches of the grapefruit tree in my above photo. However, I have had trouble growing subsequent generations of both varieties epiphytically. They do O.K. for a while, but they don't like my cooler winters nor occasional dry spells. Hopefully your conditions are more suitable - or you are prepared to pamper them more than me. That plant in my photo only survived one more generation growing there. I no longer grow that small brevipedicellata variety. I find G. sanguinea grows better in light to dense shade, especially when relying on constant moisture and humidity supplied mostly by Mother Nature. I have better luck growing healthy G. sanguinea in a pot in my humid green house.

G. sanguinea also tends to gradually form a trunk from the base up, sometimes divided, after several generations of usually-solitary pups growing from the near centre of the mum. Extra support might be necessary to keep them attached and semi-upright along the vertical trunk. Still - with perseverance it could be done over time, and I'd love to see it. It would be a long-term project, but surely worth it in the creative process and end.
Let's hope you have better luck than B.A., and get plenty of seeds to start your dream happening - :)

Cheers,
Kerry

Kerry - I live in Brisbane and enjoy a warm sub tropical climate. I noticed the birthday thing.
I have a long term project to have a number of broms growing epiphytically. After reading that G. sanguinea cover their host inspired me to emulate this.I would have to supliment the watering to keep it looking good.

Hi Kerry, maybe I was just lucky to have mine pup and flower so quickly? It might have been gassed to flower, causing premature pupping? I did have a poke around with thoughts of seperating the pup, in the hopes of encouraging the mum to pup again, but I couldn't find the point where mum finished and pup began, so just ended up with a few mangled lower leaves. I have mine under 70% beige shadecloth, in a full sun position, in moderately draining soil (not orchid mix) where it recieves only rain water, of which we seem to get heaps! I hadn't even thought of the possibility of growing it on a tree/branch!
Good luck with that Brod. It will be interesting to see if my plant produces another pup and commences flowering in the same time frame as the last. Is yours flowering now Brod? Do you want some pollen?
BA

BA- the flowers of mine are still in bud at the bottom of the tank. I would appreciate some pollen if you could manage that.
Cheers

Brod

brod, I think you can email me from my page, so send me a mailing address and I'll collect some pollen over the next few days to post up to you. I'm guessing if I cut off the anthers and store them wrapped in tinfoil, in the fridge, that should be ok?
If you get any seed, I'd appreciate a small number, if you get enough to spare.
BA

Hi, I recently purchased G.sanguinea in full flower. Have placed it with bright light most of the day and only direct v. early morning (autumn) sun. The bracts have lost almost all orange over 4 weeks. My question -have the bracts been bleached or is it receiving too little light to retain its color?
Also, the plant is actually 2 plants out of one set of basal leaves. Any predictions on how it will pup?.

Hi everyone,

I bought some Guz Sanguinea seed from a seller on ebay about three years ago. Below is a picture of the plant the seeds were supposed to have come from and was shown in the advertisement. This is what caught my eye and prompted me to try and grow some.

{{gwi:474124}}

I planted the seed on top of Coco-Peat in enclosed plastic take-away food containers and after 3-4 weeks it germinated with a very high success rate. Initially they were grown in an enclosed porch on wire mesh shelves as shown in the pic below until they were about 3/4" high.

{{gwi:438426}}

They were then "thined out" into similar containers with drainage holes cut in the bottom like in the pic below .....

{{gwi:438100}}

........ and then placed on a bed of Coco-Peat within a cut down poly styrene box, similar to the ones in the picture below.

{{gwi:474125}}

When about 1.5" high they were potted into 3" pots. I did find them very slow to grow at first but they gradually got bigger and bigger until now (three years later) they are over three inches high and ready for potting on. I know this is probably very slow compared to the experts but I'm quite pleased with the results to date.

{{gwi:474126}}

{{gwi:474128}}

{{gwi:474130}}

{{gwi:474132}}

All the best, Nev.

Nev , they look like the smaller brevipedicellata ,. straight sanguinea is usually all green . I have grown thousands of them .