These are really nice Vrieseas, Pedro. There has been much confusion here in Oz about a couple of Vr. pastuchoffiana look-alikes, which I'm keen to sort out with some help, if possible. Like a few others, I bought a Vriesea labeled as pastuchoffiana from Pinegrove Nursery (N.S.W.) several years ago when the nursery was owned by the Buchanans. When it flowered, I realised it was incorrectly labeled and was really the smaller hybrid Vr. Intermedia (rust bracts). I have grown and flowered a few of these, including a pink-lilac bracted form. It is quite similar to Pedro's pastuchoffiana, but its leaves are more "cascading" (less upright) and the glyphs are not as strong in contrast. The inflorescence of 'Intermedia' differs greatly. Having sorted that out, I then acquired another form of a labeled Vr. 'Intermedia', which looks just like Pedro's pastuchoffiana. I have seen this same Vriesea offered elsewhere for sale as 'Intermedia', sometimes with the added description of "tall upright form". I have labeled my tall upright one Vriesea 'Intermedia NOT (??)' - but might it be the real pastuchoffiana? I have been growing the one in below photos for about 6-7 years. It is approx. one metre (three feet) high and wide, grown in a shady area of my garden, yet to flower. Obviously the inflo will help reveal all, but I live in hope. Vr. 'Intermedia Not'... OR Vr. pastuchoffiana? I love those Vr. bituminosa(?) seedlings. I bought one from Bruce at Greenstock, and assume his are from the same wild seed as Pedro's (?). Here is a photo of a dear little one at Greenstock last June, which resembles a pleated cabbage. This photo is of one of those seedlings of Vr. bituminosa from Greenstock, now getting quite big. Unfortunately, those corrugated leaves tend to smooth out as it grows, and the dark tips are less prominent. The reddish underleaf also seems to have disappeared. It has been growing in bright dappled light. I have been growing another Vr. bituminosa for a few years, bought as a pup rather than a seedling. It looks identical to the seedling, to my untrained and naked eye. It is yet to flower. See below. Cheers, Kerry

Thanks for the positive comments, brom friends. Glad you enjoyed it - just sorry you weren't all there. LOL, Andrew, that 100% pay rise sounds good, but my maths is poor - what is 100% of $0? The alien hieroglyphics were most annoying. I now know that one should change the file to text only, when copying and pasting a Word document. The hieroglyphics substituted all the inverted commas, apostrophes, and dots...... which did not show in the preview. Lisa - I know nothing about why there weren't more Aussie hybrids available for sale. Probably distance to get them there would have been a hindrance. Shane Z was selling some of his hybrids, as was Peter T. I can only assume that due to restrictions on O.S. visitors' purchases, the sellers catered more for Aussies - the majority. And yes Gonzer, a splendid time was had for sure! Cheers, Kerry

John and Agatha, This is a timely post! Our local bromeliad society is focusing on foliage Vrieseas at our meeting this coming Saturday. Part of the meeting will be a Power Point presentation with lots of plant pics. Do you have any objections to copying some of the above photos to include in our presentation? The production photos would be particularly enlightening, as we have no facilities that would compare within 1000 miles! A few of our members have acquired a decent representation of Shigii and Arden hybrids. We can only hope that the Maloy's hybrids will eventually reach the USA as well. (hdd- what do you know that you're not telling us?!) The hybridizing program that they have in place in NZ is nothing short of remarkable! Thanks for posting some wonderful photos. Paul

Hi everyone, Jaga that sure is a beautiful plant from the NZ stable and thanks for sharing it with us. Jack, what's all this bull...t you've written "OK you guys in NZ win". It's bad enough when they win the rugby and win at making the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world without encouraging them any further. I think there's quite a few of yours up there in that same class. Seriously though, I totally agree with you when you say "makes one wonder though, what else can be achieved further down the track". Just looking at the new hybrids that are also popping up in Neo's (I use Lisa's batch of babies she posted recently as an example) as well as Vrieseas, gives us food for thought about what lies ahead in the future. The mind boggles at the possibilities. Wouldn't it be great to be able to come back in a hundred years and see what the hybridists have have been up to? As I've said before, "long live the hybridists" All the best, Nev.