Alcantarea Imperialis

[doubravsky]

Just picked one of these up from Tropical Vibe... (thanks John). Really like the huge ones I saw at Bo's place.

Anyone in SoCal with thoughts on sun exposure and cold hardiness? I put it in a spot that gets shad am, and then full sun from about 3:00 pm - 6:00 p m or so... I'll get a pic posted soon...

thanks!

Dave

[junglegalfla]

They can take full on afternoon sun here in FL. It will have it's best coloration in the full sun. I would move it somewhere sunnier. Watch for grass pups, they'll look like weeds

[palmmermaid]

Mine is in full sun all day and is doing well.  My daughter took one of mine and keeps it in a pot in Jacksonville (very cold in winter).  She brings it in during the winter and puts it back out after the last frost.  It is growing well and doing fine.

Make sure you put it in a place for its adult size - large.  Or put it in a pot you can move later on.

[Kim]

I have one in full sun, got a little tip damage at first, but adjusted now.  Also got a little tip damage in January from the cold (31F), but doing very well.  In the sun you get the reddish-purple color; in shade they will go more green.  You can put them in the ground if you want, just get rid of the clay first.  Pumice and cactus mix, or any fast-draining equivalent will be fine.

[bgl]

Dave,

An up-to-date picture might be in order. Was fortunate to buy these from Hawaiian Sunshine Nursery in Hilo about 5 years ago. They were no more than 10 inches tall or so, and if I remember correctly, I paid $20 each. That was a great investment!

Bo-Göran

[chris.oz]

Bo,

Just stunning.... I bet you are sick of people telling you how fantastic your garden looks... Probably not,  if you have it flaunt it !

[chris.oz]

Dave,

Suggest you go to the fcbs site,  theres a cold tolerance spreadsheet there.

A imperialis are among the most cold tolerant broms.   Oh, certainly for ones that once were called Vrieseas.

[doubravsky]

Thanks all for the info... and Bo... they look even bigger than they were in February!

Here's a pic of mine....

[palmarazzi]

wow. those look fantastic! the reds.

[epicure3]

Full sun for me as well. I have 3 and 2 of them are flowering right now. They don't appear to be very salt tolerant though. We have had not rain in forever and their tips have been saltified for about 8 months now. They are huge right now. I'll post a pic when they finish putting out their flowers. I've had them in the ground for about 5 years and I always make sure that their reservoirs are full of water. By the way, snails like them and so do the frogs.

[Urban Rainforest]

Dave, I planted a bunch of very nice Broms many of them hybrids a couple of years ago at work and last week I harvested the pups and brought them home. Among these were some Alcantarea Imperialis grass pups. They had some roots and so far so good! This is one of my favorite broms as well. Now if I can just get them to look like Bo's  ???   . Steve

[Mike4284m]

Bo - I have never seen A. imperialis that red before.  Even the 'Rubra' form seems to color up much more on the bottom of the leaves than the top.  What are you feeding those puppies?

[Carlo Morici]

Day-Night temperature changes  promotes pigmentation. That's possibly why Bo's plant are so bright, he has some elevation. They would not probably look so in the "low lands" of Miami or Waikiki.

As Bren said, check for the grass pups! They appear when the plant is young, once it grows over a certain size no more pups will show up.

Check this, a monster Alcantarea that has just bloomed in the Jardín de Aclimatación in Tenerife (go at the end of the page):

http://palmtalk.org/cgi-bin/forum/ikonboar...=ST;f=12;t=2430

Carlo, Tenerife

[ibreakforpalms]

Here are my two:

Closer:

[doubravsky]

Ok... everyone says "grass pups".... what do you mean by that?

[ibreakforpalms]

"Grass pups" got its name because the pups that this bromeliad has looks like thin blades of grass.  I'll take a photo soon and post it.

[bgl]

Mike,

I don't feed them anything, so can't take any credit!!

Bo-Göran

[Carlo Morici]

(bgl @ Jun. 07 2007,18:06)

QUOTE

Mike,

I don't feed them anything, so can't take any credit!!

Bo-Göran

That's a rule: the more you feed the bromeliads, the less colourful they get.

Grass pups are especially small pups,  with grass-like leaves, typical of large Alcantarea species. They don't look much like the mother plant so they can be unnoticed. They will grow only if separated from the mother plant and they appear only when the plant is young. Separation needs some special patience... just because they are small and they can't be wildly pulled.

Carlo

[chris.oz]

Oh yes,   A. imperialis is a stunning plant and when grown really well as in the above cases looks wonderfully  exotic ,  particularly because it is not well known or recognised among the general public.

This will change however, because it is quite hardy,  it is big and if you get the Rubra cultivar inparticular like Bo s' specimens,  it has an architectural form  and persistent color that no other foliage plant in its size class can equal.  IMO.  It also has a large and spectacular inflor,  which is perhaps not as colorfull as some other broms.

I have 3 and they are slow growing in shade.  Next spring they will go in part sun,  to flatten the rosette.  The grass pups come naturally and ensure that you can have followup plants,  as long as you are able to remove them satisfactorily.

[aussiearoids]

Bo has mentioned that his plants could be hybrids , they are certainly the best coloured Alcantareas I have ever seen , and I have seen lots . Maybe some A.vinicolor in there , whatever      you nearly need sunglasses to look at them , I am green with envy  :cool:

[chris.oz]

(aussiearoids @ Jun. 08 2007,04:38)

QUOTE

Bo has mentioned that his plants could be hybrids , they are certainly the best coloured Alcantareas I have ever seen , and I have seen lots . Maybe some A.vinicolor in there , whatever      you nearly need sunglasses to look at them , I am green with envy  :cool:

So now there are queues leading to Bo Gorans door looking to take photos and buy grass pups eh ?

[doubravsky]

Jason,

I'd love to see a pic of the pups. I don't want to miss the opportunity to plant them!

[Bilbo]

Carlo and guys,

feeding (high Potash) is required to kick start a Puya alpestris into flowering and thats on a South facing raised gravel bed!

OK - maybe its my cooler conditions  or whatever - but it works.

The flower colour is 100% normal.

Regardez all,

Juan

PS Carlo I will visit Tener. much later than anticipated due to a serious medical condition of a relative.

I wont need a guide at all as obviously I will be familiar with most Palms and Non palms (if you want donation of cuttings of Combretum fruticosum let me know - you may have it already)

I also have Schotia afra if thats of interest.

The latter is more difficult from cuttings.

Regardez

Juan

[bgl]

To respond to some of the above comments, yes, the ones in the photo above are indeed hybrids. This is according to David Fell, owner of Hawaiian Sunshine Nursery in Hilo, who created these hybrids. Needless to say, he's not interested in revealing the details.

And despite looking for them, I've never been able to find any grasspups! Are the bromeliads now beyond the size where they produce them?

[Mike4284m]

Bo- Well beyond the chance of grasspups  

Edit: Quick check of FCBS registry reveals the secret:

Alcantarea 'Tarawera'

[Dave-Vero]

'Tarawera' indeed!  Regular greenish A. imperialis are easy to get here in Florida, especially if you go to plant shows featuring specialist growers.  These events at botanical gardens and other public venues (including Vero Beach's Riverside Park) contribute a lot to our home horticulture scene.

My two A. imperialis are growing happily, but aren't as perfect as Jason's.  Valkaria Gardens north of Jason has a huge one growing under a tree.

[aussiearoids]

Just as I thought , some vinicolor there for the great colour as well as stopping the hair pup production    I have a few vinicolor plants and have been very dissapointed at the lack of hair pups from them . I have got the odd one but now where near the amount that most other Alcantarea plants give .

Sometimes a large Alcantarea will give hair pups , especially if it falls over and the trunk gets some light onto it , though it is harder to remove the pups from large plants . If pups are snapped off , they can still be saved by putting in a pot of spagnum moss , have healed and rooted many this way .

[chris.oz]

(aussiearoids @ Jun. 08 2007,17:19)

QUOTE

Just as I thought , some vinicolor there for the great colour as well as stopping the hair pup production    I have a few vinicolor plants and have been very dissapointed at the lack of hair pups from them . I have got the odd one but now where near the amount that most other Alcantarea plants give .

Sometimes a large Alcantarea will give hair pups , especially if it falls over and the trunk gets some light onto it , though it is harder to remove the pups from large plants . If pups are snapped off , they can still be saved by putting in a pot of spagnum moss , have healed and rooted many this way .

Fascinating stuff.   Thanks for the info.  Actually Michael,  the Alcantareas I have came from you about 2 years ago.  Growing nicely here,  but not in a shape  like Bo goran s  yet!  When I got them from you they were about 100mm long,  now they are 300 mm diameter and 300 mm high

I have 2 bog standard types and 1 "rubra"

I must get them into more sun !!!

[ibreakforpalms]

(doubravsky @ Jun. 08 2007,10:46)

QUOTE

Jason,

I'd love to see a pic of the pups. I don't want to miss the opportunity to plant them!

No problem.  I'll post some photos late tomorrow.

[bgl]

I'm learning as we go here...  I also have these and they look like the ones in Jason's photo above (post 14). So, are these true A. imperialis?

[bgl]

And here's my biggest one of the hybrids (planted in a separate area). They tend to get a little bit messy looking when they get to this size. This one is about 5 ft tall.

[ibreakforpalms]

Dave,

As requested, some photos of a grass pup from my plants above.  Not my hand, but that of my assistant  

[chris.oz]

(bgl @ Jun. 08 2007,23:44)

QUOTE

And here's my biggest one of the hybrids (planted in a separate area). They tend to get a little bit messy looking when they get to this size. This one is about 5 ft tall.

Bo,

You could wait or give that one an  acetylene tablet and make  it flower.   A spectacular inflor, in structure , if not in color.

[bgl]

So is that the end of the plant when it flowers? If so, even with a spectacular inflorescence, I'd rather wait....

[Johnny]

Dave,

I am glad you stopped by to pick up one of those guys. I don't think yours had grass pups yet or I would have mentioned them and there removal. Take your time removing them and try to cut them off from the point that they sucker off from the mother. This often times requires pruning old leaves. Usually the begin to pup when they are about 2x the size you bought (maybe a year from now).

Given that you are in an interesting microclimate I might say give it a shot in full sun. If it starts to flatten-out too much - beginning to look deconstructed - find another spot for it. The sun helps bring out its burgandy tones as well as its age.  Most people in your neck of the woods should go with partial sun rather than full sun all day.  I would also suggest moving it about 2' or more away from the nearby hardscaped wall.

Lastly, buy a few more of these and place them in various areas throughout your landscape. When they flower the produce a very exciting show in your garden. I would also add in a few of my other hybrids when they are ready. Good luck with them and hope to see at the nursery again.

[amazondk]

I looked into the history of the name of this plant and it came from Dom Pedro de Alcantara who was the Emperor of Brasil at the time the Portuguese court was installed in Brazil.  The article telling about this also mentioned that this bormeliad can live up to 40 years.  I have seen many of them on the granite rock slops around Rio de Janeiro.  They are a beautiful sight.  In fact there are lots of the plants on Sugar Loaf Mountan in Rio.  

Here is a picture from the article from Petropolis on line, the city in the mountains of Rio.

This site is very interesting, even if it is in Portuguese.  The photo album is nice. Brazilian bromeliad society

Over the years I have spent many an hour collecting bromeliads in South East Brazil.  I still have one of the ones I collected with me here in Manaus.

As you can see they grow in very full sun.

[amazondk]

Here are a few of mine.  They have a nice silvery color to them.

[Carlo Morici]

That's too much! I think I need one. Any pups?

Carlo

[Kris]

Good heavens i have not seen anything like these till today !

Bo's red onces are great and Jason your house with those

polished rock chips and the pathway simply rock !and those

huge pots are fentastic.the house looks very close to those

dated to the roman era.

thanks for those lovely stills,

love,

Kris  

[Bilbo]

The only Imperialis I have is Dahlia I. which is nothing like those weedy gaudy things sold in Garden Centers.

Its big, and imposing and still in the greenhouse but will be planted out soon and of course I have a second back up.

Regardez all

Juan