Alcantarea Imperialis

[doubravsky]

Lots of great pics and info... I of course got down on my knees and thoroughly inspected the plant for pups.... none yet as you mentioned John...

Thanks for the info... I though about how close it is to the wall after I saw some of the other pictures.. I'll move it a bit. And you're right... I'm gonna need some more!

[XYZ]

Some fantastic photos of a very handsome plant.

My experience is somewhat limited with them but I will say that, based on a fairly large number of imports of seedlings and younger plants made by me and my partners over the past several years, coupled with playing with them in my gardens, dark color is dictated by 1. genetics and 2. environment. The offsets of the "best" red alcantareas develop pretty intense color very early on. Tropiflora has recently released an excellent commercial form ('Red Brazil') that is quite intensely-colored even at 30 cm span. A really red one should, IMO, show red on both leaf surfaces even when young. While Bo-Goran's plants are said to be hybrids by the breeder, to me they look like they're just very well-grown offspring or offsets from highly-colored A. imperialis. Most of the other "red" alcantareas would seem to generate narrower leaves or much more acuminate leaf tips.

As many have noted here, full sun at upper elevations in the wet tropics appears to make for the most vividly-colored plants, but a stable green one will, even under these conditions, stay green with some purplish tones here & there on the underleaf surfaces. The glaucous/powdery cast to the green upper leaf surfaces of some plants in the pics is typical of shade-grown alcantareas.

Ciao,

J

[jdapalms]

This is my A. imperialis in San Clemente in full bloom. A spectacular plant. Bo's plants were propagated in Hilo by David Fell he calls them "Merlot" This cultivar from what I was told is a cross between Alacantera imperialis and Alacantera vinicolor

[Carlo Morici]

What about Alcantarea vinicolor? Is anybody growing one?

Carlo

[palmmermaid]

I think I have A. vinicolor in my yard.  I have 2 Alcanteras and they are slightly different.  I know Tropiflora has them for sale.

[junglegalfla]

I grow rubra, vinicolor & purple & swoon over for David Fell's hybrid! I must find that plant! If anyone has one and wants to trade grass pups, ping me  

[bgl]

Time to bump this thread! When we moved into our house in Feb 1997 I planted a bunch of Cycas revoluta in front of the house. Should have picked something more unusual, but didn't have too many choices at the time. Anyway, the dreaded Cycas scale, that seems to affect C. revolutas all over the place, arrived at our place last year. Last week it was finally time to rip out the cycads. Fortunately, I had found what I think will be a good replacement: Alcantarea sp. Volcano mist. Visited Hawaiian Sunshine Nursery last Friday, and filled up the truck:

[bgl]

After I got home I lined them up!

[bgl]

And this morning it was time to plant them. Here's a full view. 7 on this side of the front lanai and 3 on the far side.

[bgl]

And a close up of the seven. Now, all I have to do is keep after the coqui frogs that no doubt will relocate to these new perfect homes!

[junglegalfla]

Bo,

Are you trying to kill me by jealousy? Give me Dave's swoon couch *passes out*

[Kim]

Move over, Bren, I'm swooning too!  That's what I like about your garden, Bo, you never do anything half-way.

[Really full garden]

These are very impressive bromeliads.I wish they were available here.They would be great to try at my new place at 2,800 ft. elevation.

                                                                                        Scott

[realarch]

The photos of the red ones in Bo's yard don't do them justice. When you see them in person, your eyes pop out of your head and your jaw drops.  My eyes and jaw were quite tired after a few hours scouting around in his garden.    

Tim

[Dave-Vero]

Bo's gone bonkers.  My two (in pots) spent last summer providing a gentler microclimate for the two young Satakentia palms I'd planted at the edge of a concrete patio.  I just moved one into a monster pot, while the other's probably going into the ground.  From my limited experience, it looks like they grow nicely for us with little care.

[daxin]

Are the seven on left arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper? I am impressed with the stone sculpture behind. Were the pieces held together by rebar or concrete bonding agent? They remind me of the inukshuks in Vancouver, Canada and the Buddist temple towers, which BTW always have even number of levels.

[bgl]

Daxin,

I was simply attempting to place the bromeliads in as much of a random fashion as possible, while still maintaining some level of symmetry. Definitely did not have the Big Dipper in mind!

And the rocks are all simply placed on top of each other. There is nothing holding them together except gravity and proper placement. I have actually created quite a few of these rock sculptures in our garden. I'll start a new thread in Ohana Nui, since it's not really appropriate in this section.

Bo-Göran

[chris.oz]

Based on advice from Michael AussieAroids, I have recently cut my 3 A. imperialis out of the tiny [ 4" across pots] they were growing in in the ground.

The plants are about 4 years old. The one in the foreground is var. rubra, but it has not colored up nearly as well as Bo gorans. ...... yet .... heres hoping.

Alongside them are the 4 pups I have cut off these plants.

Anyway, I am more than satisfied with these growing at 37 degrees south latitude.

[Kim]

Looking good, Chris. Four-inch pots sound really small for these monsters, definitely time for an upgrade.

This time of year my one plant looks its best. I wouldn't mind having another dozen like Bo's garden.

[Al in Kona]

Here are two young potted plants showing the pups at the base.

[realarch]

Wow Kim, beautiful specimen. The cordyline and alpinia in the background are looking nice as well. It's too bad Bo locks his front gates up at night.

Tim

[Al in Kona]

Two big plants of Alcantrea imperialis. The first one (left) flowered and has since died. The second one (right)

measures 6ft. (1.8m) tall and about 5ft. (1.5m) wide. Third pic is more of a top view of the second pic.

[realarch]

Nice photos Al, spectacular plants. Are they relatively fast growing? How old is the one in the photo?

Tim

[joe_OC]

Time to bump this thread! When we moved into our house in Feb 1997 I planted a bunch of Cycas revoluta in front of the house. Should have picked something more unusual, but didn't have too many choices at the time. Anyway, the dreaded Cycas scale, that seems to affect C. revolutas all over the place, arrived at our place last year. Last week it was finally time to rip out the cycads. Fortunately, I had found what I think will be a good replacement: Alcantarea sp. Volcano mist. Visited Hawaiian Sunshine Nursery last Friday, and filled up the truck:

Bo, to get a 10" pot of the 'Volcano Mist' from Hawaiian Sunshine Nursery from one of their dealers in Los Angeles would cost me $175 each...

[chris.oz]

Looking good, Chris. Four-inch pots sound really small for these monsters, definitely time for an upgrade.

This time of year my one plant looks its best. I wouldn't mind having another dozen like Bo's garden.

Kim,

I noticed you have some really good well colored broms. The A. blanchetiana also looks really good. Seems like you know the exact position to get the best color out of these plants. I also have A blanchetiana but it does not get enough sun to color like that. I think its time to move it !

[aussiearoids]

Full sun Chris ,, your rubra will colour up better ,, it will never look like Bo's hybrid ,,,

The Ae. blanchetiana should thrive on Vic full sun as well . I have just been planting out a few ,, put 2 little Alc. vinicolor next to the imperialis ,, and still deciding where to put the regina and glaziouna .

[Kim]

Thanks Tim and Chris. Yes, I agree with Michael, full sun -- but I'm 1/2 mile from the ocean and get a lot of night and early morning low clouds, and it rarely bakes here, nice weather for lots of bromeliads to bask in the sun outdoors. Michael, what's glaziouna? got a pic?

Al -- nice plants! How old was the plant when it bloomed? I wonder why the tips on mine are recurved and yours are straight? Different hybrid? Mine is tissue cultured from Rancho Soledad Nursery.

[Al in Kona]

Thanks Tim and Chris. Yes, I agree with Michael, full sun -- but I'm 1/2 mile from the ocean and get a lot of night and early morning low clouds, and it rarely bakes here, nice weather for lots of bromeliads to bask in the sun outdoors. Michael, what's glaziouna? got a pic?

Al -- nice plants! How old was the plant when it bloomed? I wonder why the tips on mine are re-curved and yours are straight? Different hybrid? Mine is tissue cultured from Rancho Soledad Nursery.

Kim, the plant that flowered and died I had purchased from David Shigi as a reasonably good size plant so I don't know how old it was at that time. However, I had it growing in the garden for about 10 or 11 years after that.

I have one med. size plant in a container now that has leaf tips that are somewhat re-curved like yours. Just why that is I really don't know. Variability in the species possibly? Anyone have any thoughts on that?

Al in Kona

[aussiearoids]

KIm . I left an a out of the name ... It was called regina alba for ages here ... and with the popularity of Alcantareas ,, a bit more research has been done ... but its so hard to tell some apart .. So Alc. glaziouana has lovely fine tips , very thick coat of white under the leaves ..

[amazondk]

Those are a lot of beautiful bromeliads. I have a few but only one is somewhat red. One of the great features of Rio de Janeiro is that these bromeliads grow all over the rocky mountains around Rio included Sugar Loaf Mountain. It is a great sight to see hundreds of them blooming hanging onto a graniite rock wall looking out over the southern Atlantic coast.

dk

[Walter John]

Hi folks, found this here ole thread featuring Alacantareas. I have become enamoured by these plants of late so here I am posting.

I have acquired a few Alcantarea imperialis "silver plum" and "ruby" and some others . Has anyone else got thrilled by collecting these magnificent broms of substantial size ? What are the biggest broms you have ? Any pics ?

[aussiearoids]

@ big Alc. Whyanbeel , prob' close to 2m across , some little vinicolors in foreground .

Raymond Golden Brown nearly finishing flowering , its taken approx 6 months for this process .. no sign of any pups yet , but have been told some will come as seeds mature . Few other cvs scattered around .

Purple Skotak to the left , it should colour up more as winter sets in .

Purple Skotak has extra wide leaves .

[Walter John]

Hi Michael, why does it colour up more with onset of winter ? Is that a case of less sun more colour ?

[aussiearoids]

Cold burn maybe they just do Wal

[ariscott]

I think it has something to do with humidity... it happens here too...

Regards, Ari

[Rusty on Pine Is.]

Hi Michael, why does it colour up more with onset of winter ? Is that a case of less sun more colour ?

Wal, this process happens in other genera, Neoregelias especially.....and the onset of more colour empirically has to do with lower nighttime temps, and is likely not an issue of humidity or "burn".....

My guess is that the plants slow their growth upon the onset of lower temps, and as a result reduce the amount of chlorophyll and thus their green pigment, allowing other pigments such as anthocyanins to become brighter by default.

Rusty

[Funkthulhu]

These are all really magnificent!

Thanks to all who shared!

(now I gotta get me some...)

[Walter John]

Hi Michael, why does it colour up more with onset of winter ? Is that a case of less sun more colour ?

Wal, this process happens in other genera, Neoregelias especially.....and the onset of more colour empirically has to do with lower nighttime temps, and is likely not an issue of humidity or "burn".....

My guess is that the plants slow their growth upon the onset of lower temps, and as a result reduce the amount of chlorophyll and thus their green pigment, allowing other pigments such as anthocyanins to become brighter by default.

Rusty

Thanks Rusty.

[Shawn Alexander]

Looking to purchase 2 to 4 silver plum bromeliads to ship to Georgia