Hi Bob, we should be neighbour !!
So, we could work around and talk about our plants all day and night.

It just today afternoon, Dr Larry Giroux of the Cryptanthus Society sent me a message, as he asked me to write an article about Cryptanthus grower in Thailand for his next coming journal, he recommend me the site of Jim Irvin as you too. Yes, I absolutely agree that there are a lot of beautyful hybrids of Cryp. and Billbergia in that site.

In fact, I gonna jump into Cryp again, after I've started with Cryp. warasii as a xeric brom, but I found that I can't withstand those silvery or goldy wave pattern on their leaves.
I just asked my friend who are now stopover at Florida to get some xeric stuff from Tropiflora and also some Cryp. back for me. It is a long list, so I have no money left this month ;(

About Jim Irvin's site, I saw a pic of Dyckia dawsonii pink spine clone. Bob...do you think it would be the same clone with Michael's ? As I got two plants from Michael, I do really love that pink spine.

Thanks Bob! In addition to his hybridizing, he takes beautiful pictures. I hope our paths will cross one of these days-- it looks as though we have been working along very similar lines, in fact he has a couple of Cryptanthus that I could have sworn were mine. His 'Frostbite' is practically a dead ringer for 'Ken Vinzant', and that's my best one! Man, I need to get it together so I can whup his............... well, maybe not. ;-)

Stephania, are there many bromeliad hybridizers in Thailand? If so, they don't register. Larry Giroux did an article about all of the Hawai'i Crypt breeders in the July-Sept '05 Cryptanthus Society Journal. A few minor errors (like the name of our nursery, LOL), but all in all a nice little write-up. There's even a picture of you-know-who in there! He has all of my Crypts, and hopefully will get them all registered and released.

Do you have C. microglaziovii? That is a rather Orthophytum-looking Crypt that might be able to take higher light conditions, although its size is kind of small and delicate.

Stephania,yes,being neighbors would be good,but we would be broke in no time. I'm happy to hear you will be collecting Cryptanthus again.More to talk about,and send pics.I tried to order D.dawsonii'pink spines' from Jim Irvin around May of this year,but he had no more available.I got one from Michael's as you did,but I don't know if they are the same clone or not.But as they are near each other in Florida,I'd bet they exchange plants often,so its likely they are the same.

As a subscriber to the Cryptanthus Society Journal,I will
be reading your article in the near future.Looking forward to that.They are great window plants for collectors with little space.Lots of colors and designs for every taste.

Hi Lisa,that was an excellent article on Hawaiian growers in the CS Journal. That 'Frostbite' is one of my top favorites.My 'Favorite Favorite',as Mr. Foster would say.
And I say,'So many beauties,so little cash'
Between Stephania,hdd,Patris and me,I think we are keeping the growers in business. [and that is a Good thing]
Bob

Hmmm...Lisa, I think next year, I will plan to visit Hawaii ;)

Actually, there use to be two people breeding bromeliads here, one was specialist in Ananas, all the best cultivars of Pineapple industry in our country now must be his work. Another one I know was a collector who made some bigeneric hybrid between Neo x Cryp 20 years ago and he had given up.

Today, I know about 3 people doing that job as a hobby, one from SS Airplant breeding Tillandsia at Khonhaen Province in the North-Eastern, one guy breeding Neoregelia at Chiangmai in the North and one is my friend who breeding Cryptanthus that I've made an article about him for Dr Larry. Me?, gonna try to breed xeric brom...but no flower yet :(

Sure...Cryp. microglaziovii is included in my want list right now, also Cryp. latifolius and Cryp. lacerdae, I hope my friend could find them for me and bring back along with a bunch of Dyckia to show Bob and spiny fan!!

Yes, I think you should come to Hawaii, Stephania. Just give me enough advance notice that I can get my plants looking nice (or at least not so dead) first! Maybe I'd better start now. Is it easy to take plants back to Thailand? Do they have to be certified?

If you find anyone who's selling C. latifolius, let me know. That's been on my wish list too. That is a low light one, though. I don't have C. lacerdae either, and there's an albomarginated form of it called 'Zebra' which looks very nice.

Hmmm, maybe I could make the trip to Hawaii next year too.It would be my 2nd,having been there in 1994,but on the island of Maui.My son Bill lives in Honolulu,so it would serve the purpose of seeing him again,and meeting up with you both. Sounds like a plan. We'll see.
I had Cr.lacerdae for a time,from Tropiflora,but after doing well for a few months,and having a half dozen stolens with pups,it suddenly conked out. No idea why. I really liked that one. Never heard of latifolius being available anywhere recently,but Southern Exposure listed it in their catalog in 1993.It was discovered in Espirito Santo Brazil,however,its habitat was destroyed in 1985,so it became scarce in cultivation,and expensive.
Stephania/Lisa,There may be one person that I know of who may have it,or may know where to obtain it. Mary Jo Kellogg,who knew Bob Whitman well,and obtained some of his plants when they went out of business.She e-mailed me a sad story of how the nursery went downhill by lack of attention from Bob's son,I believe. "broms baking in the sun,when she drove by." A shame. Her e-mail is www.bromeliadsrus.com
I'm sure you both have many other sources and contacts too,but just thought I'd add this info. Bob

I think the death of Bobs partner brought on the demise of Southern Exposure

Last one I had for him was 2004----rarebits@ev1.net

Yes, I have the old Southern Exposure catalog too. C. latifolius was going for $30. Several of us wanted it but it seemed like a bit much to pay for a Crypt. I saw it for auction at the 2000 convention, but not since then. I haven't been looking that hard, I just thought that somebody might have propagated enough of it to bring the price down by now, but maybe it's hard to grow.

I don't do any mail order unless I can get a whole bunch of stuff from the same source. We have to get a phyto for everything that comes in, and it's just not cost effective for only one or two items. I'm kind of cheap anyway-- that's one reason I do my own hybridizing rather than pay for a pre-made one! ;-)

No need for you to buy when you make such gorgeous plants yourself

Lisa / Stephania,...I was trying to find an article that had something to do with Bob Whitman and SE,but I did not find it as yet. But I did find this.CSJ vol.6,No.2,May1991.
C.latifolius is on the cover,and an article by Elton Leme about it,is on pg.14-15. So,if you have that copy,read away. And a better address for Mary Jo Kellogg is; kellogg@sleek.com ,if you wanted to follow up on my previous info. The other address is for her E-Bay site.
And as a bit of a coincidance,there is a pic of Cr.'Glad' on the back cover[see my photo],and it sure does look like the photo I posted recently for an ID of a crypt that I just got last week. How about that! Bob
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