September 2009BSSF Officers 2009

President Robert MeyerVP: Pepe DonayreTreasurer: Alan HerndonSecretary: Barbara Partagas_________________DIRECTORS

Past Pres.: Sandy RothDirectors: Lori Weyrick ‘09 Peter Kouchalakos ‘09 Judy Pagliarulo ‘09-‘10 Ofelia Sorzano ‘09-‘10

EditorRobert C MeyerMoyna Prince

Door Prize: Alan HerndonEducation: Nat DeLeonHospitality: Elaine MillsLibrary: Ofelia SorzanoMembership: Moyna PrinceMember Plant Sales: Antonio ArbelaezRaffle: Peter & Clara KouchalakosRefreshments: Patty Gonzalez

What Who

SalesTable

Antonio Arbelaez

SEPTEMBER 1, 2009, 7:30 PMSPEAKER: PPS of the Annual Show – Lynne Fieberand Michael SchmaleRAFFLE TABLE: TBAFOOD TABLE:Betty McQuale, Marilyn Gresh, AlexBello, Chien Manlee, Barbara Sparling

Speakers Fieber and Schmale

Inside: In Case You Missed It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2What’s In Bloom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3Karl and Kris Green Lifetime Members . . . . . . . 3-4Lucy Rosing and Alex Hawkes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5Auction is Coming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6Growing Alcantarea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7BCR outlined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Cultivar Background Explained . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10Why Kill the Goose? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11The Horrible Demise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12Jose Donayre Resigns from BSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Clone preservation Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-14

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In Case You Missed Itby Robert Meyer

There was nothing to miss as our speaker did notshow, and apparently had car trouble which wasinformation relayed during the early eveninghours.

T-Shirts Still For Sale Sandy Roth has determined to take onanother task – make t-shirts. Artwork isapproved and she has contacted the properprinters to manufacture t-shirts for themasses. Announcements will be deliveredat the meeting.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE by Robert MeyerThis microcosm of bromeliads – the BSSF – hasbeen a pertinent and important part of the latestevents which touched upon bromeliads on aninternational level. Below, there will be differentarticles outlining the events which havetranspired over the past several weeks, if notmonths, which have greatly affected thebromeliad world. Members should be well awareof the same and understand that the volunteerismby many is not being fully appreciated by all.

Instead, a pale few of the societies’ leaders havelaid heavy hand on others who have deliverednothing but time-honored and caressing care tothe benefit of bromeliads for an eternity.

Some volunteers’ reactions have included theshut down of the Bromeliad Cultivar Registry onthe web, a resignation from the BSI by one of ourmore pronounced and well admired members,and the delivery of another member to theunfortunate task of standing between two peoplewhose respective agendas are leading them tomake rash and very harsh decisions which havevery much harmed the bromeliad world.

But, amid this gray cloud must exist a silverlining. What has happened in the past, is notirreparable – so long as curative action is soughtin immediate fashion.

Probably, as will be explained in other articlesbelow, stricter adherence to the rules of orderwill be required before committees, boards or

other democratically created organizations canyield appropriate results – most particularlyresults which do not appear to misrepresent theboard’s opinion or which do not reflect theopinion of the governing board.

Probably, the loss of some volunteers will befelt by all. And, as intake trays pile up and lossof replacements appears inevitable, the personswho delivered the bromeliad world to thissituation will understand better to treatvolunteers more like their peers and less likesubordinates.

Probably, the leaders who created the problemswill be told by their peers or subordinates thatthey will need to think about the communalgood, as opposed to stubbornly stand absolutein their position, unwillingly to mediatebecause their personal emotions have beenhurt to a point where no apology is accepted.

But, these silver linings do not live adinfinitum. The festering presently existing canonly create deeper scars, and before thesocieties comprising the BSI become afflictedwith keloid conditions, the remedies must bepursued and delivered.

If not, the BCR brouhaha embarrassment willbecome the legacy to those involved. Theimportant accomplishments of those involvedwill be subordinate to the harm derived fromthis BCR issue. And, if allowed to grow out ofproportion, this problem may be deserving toreceive a scandal’s greatest nomenclature, andbe donned BCR-gate.

JOIN the BSSF: Friends or Family contact Moyna Princeat 305-251-5289Download application sheet at:http://www.bssf-miami.org/membership.htm

What’s in Bloom - August 2009by Alan Herndon

This month, flowering spread throughout theAechmea fasciata group and started in the Aechmeafulgens group. Many species in the Gravisia groupof Aechmea are still in bloom, but all are

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CanistrumfosterianumPhoto by DorothyBerg courtesy of

FCBS.

apparently approaching the end of their bloomingperiod. There has been a new flush of bloom inAechmea chantinii, although the number of plantscoming in to bloom is much smaller than in spring.

I had much less opportunity to survey mycollection for plants in bloom this month, so Icertainly missed many blooming plants. Still, itappears that we are in the middle of a slow periodfor blooms. Of course, several plants, particularlyin the genus Vriesea, will keep their colorfulinflorescences for some time after the flowers haveceased to open.

Aechmea (andersonii, angustifolia, aquilega, blanchetiana,caesia, chantinii, contracta, correia-araujoi, discordiae,eurycorymbus, fasciata, flavorosea, fulgens discolor, fulgensfulgens, haltoni, Little Harv, miniata, moorei, mulfordii(red leaf form), retusa, rubens, tillandsioides,werdermannii, wittmackiana)

Alcantarea (imperialis, glaziouana,nahoumii, odorata)C a n i s t r u m ( a l a g o a n u m ,fosterianum, seidelianum)Catopsis (morreniana, subulata)Edmundoa ambiguaGuzmania (lingulata, minor‘Orange Crush’, roezlii)Hohenbergia (undulatifolia, vestita)Neoregelia (angustifolia, Bossa

Nova, cathcartii, correia-araujoi , dungsiana ,eleutheropetala bicolor,guttata, macwilliamsii,marmorata, myrmecophila,pendula brevifolia, rosea.Sheba, smithii, Ultima)

Nidularium (bocainense, campos-portoi var. robusta,catarinensis, fradense, innocentii,

krisgreeniae, procerum, rutilans, viridipetalum)

Orthophytum (compactum, disjuncta, duartei, grossiorum,harleyi, lymaniana)Pitcairnia (angustifolia, imbricata, undulata)Portea (petropolitana extensa)Quesnelia (lateralis)Tillandsia (albida, hondurensis, jalisco-monticola,mallemontii, occulta, variabilis)Vriesea (duvaliana, erythrodactylon, flammea, gradata,

inflata (yellow), rodigasiana, schwackeana)

KARL AND KRIS GREENNEW LIFE MEMBERS

Moyna PrinceNOTE: At the last Board of Directors’Meeting, a vote passed that Kris and KarlGreen be named as Life Members.

I met Karl and Kris at the Sarasota BromeliadShow in the mid-nineties. Ed and I werejudging the show and stayed over for thesociety's annual Saturday night party. WallyBerg, the late, great bromeliad collector, cameover and said "There are a couple of newmembers of your society over there." Irecognized the name Karl Green from a recentmembership application, but I'd never met him.

I soon learned why Karl was there. Never oneto embrace a new hobby half way, in this casethe world of Bromeliaceae, he had quicklydetermined that the best bromeliads in the statewere at Wally Berg's home. And theBromeliad Identification Center, with HarryLuther, its director, was located at nearby SelbyBotanic Garden. Frequent trips to Sarasotameant he was on top of new discoveries.

Karl's scientific training as an orthopaedicsurgeon made it easy for him to master theintricacies of plant identification. He quicklyleft most of us back-yard hobbyists way behindin acquiring and growing species. Hisenthusiasm led him to make the acquaintanceof, and become friends with, the Braziliancollectors, notably Elton Leme. Karl undertookseveral collecting trips to Brazil with Leme,Roberto Menescal and Luis Felipe Nevares deCarvalho in 1999, 2000,2002 and 2006. This ledt o t h e G r e e n s 'u n d e r w r i t i n gsponsorship in 2000 ofLeme's third book in the"Bromeliads of theAtlantic Forest" triology," N i d u l a r i u m " .Subsequently Kris washonored with a new Nidularium species namedafter her, Nidularium krisgreeniae, which hasunusual green and white petals and red bracts.You can see photos of this beauty on theFlorida Council of Bromeliad Societieswebsite, fcbs.org.

Nidularim krisgreeniaePhoto courtesy of FCBSand Elton Leme

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The Greens' friendship with the Braziliancollectors allowed them to bring several newspecies into the US. As a result members ofBSSF have been the lucky recipients of manyplants unavailable elsewhere. An example wouldbe the Orthophytum conquistense Karldistributed at the Holiday Dinner last year.Furthermore, he has consistently offered the firstavailable pup of any new species to theBromeliad Identification Center at Selby.

Karl and Kris regularly enter award-winningbromeliads in our annual shows and they've bothwalked away with major awards, includingSweepstakes. Among those winning plants arespecies rarely seen in private collections. As wellas entering plants in the show, they have workedlong hours, Karl in classification and Kris on theinformation table. The Greens have served on theboard of BSSF and Karl has been vice presidentand president.

Members who would like to learn more aboutspecies should look for Karl at our meetings. Hegenerally brings in plants for the Show and Telltable. So whether you're a long time member orjoined recently, talk to Karl about the plants he'sbrought in to the monthly meetings. You'll beglad you did. And all of us at BSSF are glad wehave Karl and Kris Green as members.

Special Thanks to Alan Herndon

Lucy Rosing and Alex Hawkesby Alan Herndon

Only a handful of active and former BSSFmembers can still remember Lucy Rosing andAlex Hawkes. Although one of the foundingmembers, Alex only belonged to BSSF for a veryshort period of time, and had essentially noinfluence on the development of the society. NatDeLeon may well be the only person who stillremembers Alex as a member of BSSF. Lucywas a member of the BSSF for the first 20 years.She was one of the committed, hard-workingmembers who helped shape the society duringthose early years. However, she was one of theolder founding members and died in 1983, beforemost current members joined.

Lucy Rosing was one of the pioneer bromeliadgrowers in the Miami area. She lived in North

Miami, and was a good friend of anotherpioneer, Ralph Davis. She was a chartermember of the Bromeliad Society of SouthFlorida, being present at the first organizationalmeetings in May 1959. Ultimately, she servedas the fifth President during the 1967-1968club year (the fiscal year for BSSF ran fromMay to April during those years, and terms ofthe officers followed the same calendar). Shealso was the main auctioneer for BSSF duringthe late 1960's and early 1970's (a period whenthere were generally two regularly scheduledauctions each year.) In the 1974-1975 Rostershe is listed as the head of the ResearchCommittee.

By the time I first joined BSSF (1975), Lucyhad largely withdrawn from active participationin the club. I was fortunate enough to visit herat her house a few times. Her bromeliadcollection had been completely lost by thattime (largely through unauthorized removal ofplants by persons unknown), but her memoriesremained clear.

In addition to being a good friend of RalphDavis, she was a good friend of Alex Hawkes.Alex Hawkes was an important, if evanescent,figure at the founding of the BSSF. He is inour rosters listed as the “Coordinator of theBromeliad Society of South Florida, Inc.,serving as Temporary Chairman of the Board”during 1959. He is in Fairchild TropicalBotanic Garden (where he was on staff duringthe 1950's and 1960's) in the form of the AlexHawkes Laboratory. He certainly was animportant catalyst for the formation of theBSSF the first organizational meeting for thesociety was held at his house but disappearedfrom the society almost at once. The bestexplanation for his disappearance is found inthe letters from Julian Nally (bromeliad pioneerfrom the Orlando area) to William Morris ofAustralia that may be found on the FCBSwebsite attached to the profile of Julian Nallyby Derek Butcher.

In a letter dated 6 Oct 1961, Nally says“According to a Miami pal, Hawkes got tossedout of the local Miami chapter of theBromeliad Society because, as its firstPresident, pro tem, he instituted the rule that amember who did not show up for a certainnumber of meetings was to be dropped

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forthwith. He forgot that this stricture applied tohim, and so when he never showed up, they gavehim the boot.”

The early members of BSSF were a seriousgroup. Even in 1974, Article III, Section 4 of theBylaws read “Any active members who has beenabsent for three consecutive regular meetings,without satisfactory explanation, can be droppedfrom membership by action of the Board.” Idon’t believe the provision was actually enforcedat this late date, but it clearly was during the earlyyears.

By the time I met Lucy, Alex Hawkes washosting a cooking show on TV in Jamaica. Lucyfelt herself responsible for his departure from theMiami area. He had hosted a garden show onlocal TV, entitled ‘Garden Club of the Air’,starting in Oct 1960. As a loyal friend, Lucyregularly watched and/or listened to the show.One day (long after being dropped from theBSSF roster), Alex signed off with “Good Night,Lucy”.

Being slightly distracted and not concentrating onthe TV at the time, she responded as if he were inthe room speaking to her, only to realize a fewseconds later that she was talking to the TV. Shefired off an irate letter to Alex about the libertieshe was taking to use her name on the air. Shewasn’t mad at him for using her name; she justthought the incident required a strong response,and they were good enough friends that she knewhe would not misinterpret the letter. She sent itto Alex care of the TV station unaware thatstation management considered it their duty toread all letters from the public. Not being in onthe friendship, the managers promptlymisinterpreted the letter. Alex lost his show, andbefore long, left the Miami area.

Alex Hawkes. was a prolific author throughouthis life. The first of his publications I have founda record of (1950-1951) were ‘The major kindsof palms’ and ‘Studies in Antillian botany. Apreliminary checklist of Cuban orchids.’ Palmsand, especially, orchids remained the mostimportant subjects for Alex through the 1960's.

He published two major, widely distributed,works on orchids: ‘Orchids – Their Botany andCulture’ (first published in 1961) and‘Encyclopaedia of cultivated orchids _ an

illustrated descriptive manual’ (first publishedin 1965). At the same time, he was publishinga variety of periodicals, including ‘OrchidWeekly’, ‘Notes on Palms’ and ‘Notes onBromeliads’, through his own company,Horticultural Publications, in Coconut Grove.These periodicals, although sold to plantenthusiasts throughout the United States, weremimeographed, but, during the same period, healso published at least two journals that wereprinted professionally. He must havemaintained a strong interest in food during thissame period because his first cookbook ‘SouthFlorida Cookery _ unique recipes from thetropics and elsewhere’ was published in 1964.

After moving to Jamaica, Alex continued towrite on food and botany, although hisbotanical writings were less voluminous andmore general than in previous years.‘Wildflowers of Jamaica’ (coauthored withBrenda Sutton) and ‘Illustrated plants ofJamaica’ both came out in the mid-1970's.Books on food became more frequent. Therewas actually a combination of food and botanyin ‘A world of vegetable cookery - anencyclopedic treasury of recipes, botany, andlore of the vegetable kingdom’ (published in1968 with a revised edition published in 1984),but the pure food books (including ‘Eating outin Jamaica _ a unique guide to good eating’ and‘The rum cookbook’) predominated. All ofthese books were put out by commercialpublishing houses. Alex may have continuedself-publishing in Jamaica, but I have no recordof this.

In all, Alex Hawkes is more interesting as acolorful character whose path brieflyintersected that of the BSSF than as a studentof bromeliads. Lucy Rosing, on the other hand,deserves to be recognized as one of thearchitects of the current BSSF. Her ability tocommand the friendship and respect of all earlymembers (even those ex-members who hadfallen out of favor) undoubtedly helped keepthe early society together. We were fortunateto have her among the charter members of oursociety.

Acknowledgements: Lori Weyrick discovered theNally-Morris correspondence, and relayed theinformation to me. Information on the publishedworks of Alex Hawkes was obtained primarily fromWorldCat.org.

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Photo courtesy of FCBS,Dorothy BergAlcanterea glaziouana

Annual Auction is Just Around the Corner

Our primary fund-raiser for the year, the AnnualAuction is approaching quickly. It will takeplace on our normal meeting day, Tuesday, 6 Oct2009, but will start a half-hour earlier than ourregular meeting. If possible be there at 630 PMto register as a bidder and set up yourcontributions. The auction will begin at 7 PM.

Please bring 1 or 2 high quality plants for auctionto others. Other bromeliad related materials(books, prints, etc.) are also welcome.Remember to clean contributed plants so theyhave maximum appeal to potential bidders.

JOIN the BSSF: Friends or Family Contact Moyna Prince at 305-251-5289

Growing Alcantarea - the other speciesby Alan HerndonOn page 27of the Jan-Feb 2009 Journal of theBromeliad Society, you can find a listing of the28 currently recognized Alcantarea species. Inaddition, you will find descriptions of two newspecies and photographs of two additionalpreviously described species.

Alcantarea imperialis, discussed in the previoustwo months, is by far the most widely grownspecies in Florida. This may change within a fewyears. Large numbers of a very attractive, verysilver form of Alcantarea odorata are beinggrown by Bullis Bromeliads and, also, Grant’sFarm Nursery in Broward. When these are fullydistributed, we may well find Alcantarea odoratadominating the local landscape.

There are several other species of Alcantareagrown in Florida, although identification is stillproblematic in most cases. (I should explain thatmost of the problem with identification arisesbecause the plants don’t bloom very frequently.It is a lot easier to identify plants to speciesaccurately when you have several related plantsto compare with one another. When the plantstend to bloom only once every several years, andthe plants are large enough that collections rarelycontain more than a single specimen, it is very

hard to make proper comparisons.) There area f e w k e ycharacteristics we canuse to identify some ofthe species. Alcantareaodorata has narrowleaves that are muchthinner than in mosto the r Alcan tareaspecies. The leavesmay be very silvery dueto a waxy coating onthe leaves, as in theBullis plants, but thereare also clones withmuch less wax incultivation locally.

Alcantarea glaziouana has medium size,unremarkable leaves. It is the only speciescurrently widespread in the area with whiteflowers. Alcantarea nahoumii has bright greenleaves that are as narrow as those on A. odoratabut much thicker and stiffer; A. nahoumii isconsiderably smaller..

Since these other species usually have plaingreen leaves, it is unlikely they will ever bewildly popular among the public (or evencollectors). Still, there is considerablevariation among the available species to temptthose with a taste for botanicals. Alcantareavinicolor looks like a smaller version of a redAlcantarea imperialis in terms of leaf shapeand leaf color. Flowers of Alcantareaglaziouana have a pleasant fragrance _apparently more pronounced in some clonesthan others. Plants of Alcantarea nevaresii aresmall enough that they can be bloomed in 8"pots. Another advantage of the smaller species,is that they tend to bloom on a regular basis.This means you only have to wait 3 to 4 yearsbetween blooms rather than 10-20 years.

The general cultural conditions that suitAlcantarea imperialis are also good for otherspecies. Of course, if you want to grow anAlcantarea odorata with perfect silver leavesyou will need to provide it with lots of freespace, so adjacent plants cannot rub off thewaxy coating that gives the leaves their silvercolor. You also need to keep an eye out forsnails that can eat the waxy coating. Finally,you need to avoid touching the leaves morethan absolutely necessary. Needless to say, theplant should be protected from wind since the

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leaves are thin and prone to damage.

Many of the Alcantarea species produce pupsnear the center of the rosette after flowering, incontrast to Alcantarea imperialis. Several of thespecies also produce hair pups near the base ofthe stem while still young. From my ownexperience, I can say that Alcanterea glaziouanaand A. odorata produce both types of pups.Alcantarea nahourmii produces large numbers ofhair pups, but I don’t know whether it alsoproduces central pups also. Unfortunately, Idon’t have enough experience with most of thespecies to list any more.

You, of course, will need to keep a close eye onyour plants for pups. If your plants produce hairpups, you can ensure your continued relationshipwith the species by carefully removing the pupsonce they have started to produce roots andplanting them in small pots. You will find thatthere is usually a tradeoff between pup size andthe ease of removing it without damage. Ofcourse, if you start with a larger pup, you willhave a specimen plant quicker, but a damagedlarge pup will need a recovery period that mayexceed the amount of time it takes a smaller pupto catch up. Plants that produce hair pups tend toproduce them in quantity, so you will have ampleopportunity to refine your technique and find thebest size to harvest.

If your species produce central pups, you willget blooming size plants more quickly.

If your species produce central pups, you will getblooming size plants more quickly. Usually, ablooming plant will produce 2-3 pups. It ispossible that giving blooming plants some extrafertilizer (as suggested by Terrie Bert forAlcantarea imperialis) will lead to a largernumber of pups. Although these central pupsgrow faster than hair pups, they are still slow bythe standards of, say, Neoregelia pups. Thepractical effect is that you will have an extendedperiod (a full year or more) during which themother plant looks worse and worse but the pupshave not gotten large enough to take up the spaceon their own. You will have to decide how tocope during this period. All I can suggest ishiding the deteriorating mother behind a screenof other large bromeliads. Just remember tocheck on the Alcantarea periodically.

If you find yourself with extra room in your

garden, even after planting the obligatoryAlcantarea imperialis and the soon to beobligatory A. odorata, give serious thought toadding another species or two. Then sit backand enjoy.

The BCR Issues of the Last MonthEditor’s Note: Below are a series of articleswhich try to outline the events and interpret thesame in an unbiased manner, so as to allowmembers to arrive at their respective opinionson the same.

Cultivar Background Explainedby Robert Meyer

The existence of cultivar registration isobvious, but the underlying events which makethe same may not be as obvious. This articlewill attempt to explain the basics underlyingthe issue of registration and outline what isdeveloping in regard to the same.

Plants delivered to the world can become aparticular person’s property by basically one ofthree events: (a) registration with the cultivar’sagent; (b) development with name but notregistered; or (c) proceeding through the patentprocess.

The latter is cost prohibitive and usually onlycan be implemented when the final plant’s salecan recoup the underlying marginal costassociated with the not-so-cheap legal ventureof owning rights to the plant (personalproperty) for a period of time as establishedunder federal patent law.

The hybridizing of plants and not registeringthe same is most common – mainly becausehobbyists are less concerned with marketrecognition of their claim to the same.

But, since the procedure for identifying andregistering cultivars is relatively inexpensive,the procedure is often used. BSI is thedesignated agent for the same and in its webpage specifically states, “The BromeliadSociety International is such an ICRA andtherefore follows the rules set down under theInternational Code of Nomenclature forCultivated Plants. The last publication wasissued in 2004 (prepared and edited by C.D.Bricknell (Chairman) et al., members of the

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Editorial Committee.”

Most of the BSI rules for entering a cultivar canb e o b t a i n e d o n l i n e a thttp://www.bsi.org/brom_info/cultivar/geninfo.html.

About 10 years ago, when the world wide web hitour desktops, the BSI discussed handling theBCR online. Pepe Donayre, the BSSF vicepresident and BSI board member (former –explanation later) stated in a letter,"Building onthe work of several previous authors, Don Beadletook on the task of compiling a definitiveBromeliad Cultivar Registry (BCR) for theBromeliad Society International (BSI) . When hecompleted his work (1998), he turned the job ofmaintaining and updating the BCR to DerekButcher. Derek oversaw the transition of theBCR from paper files to electronic media. Derekalso wanted a web-based version of the BCR toallow users access to more frequent updates thanpossible with paper publication. After the BSIdeclined to develop such a website, Derekentered into a partnership with Michael Andreas,webmaster of the Florida Council of BromeliadSocieties (FCBS). With encouragement from theBSI, Michael developed a database structure forthe BCR and incorporated links to photos for auser-friendly web site. Derek shipped newregistrations to Michael in order to keep thedatabase up-to-date. Over 10 years, thiscollaboration resulted in a frequently consultedwebsite."

FCBS became the de facto provider of the on-line version of the BCR.

FCBS became the de facto provider of the on-line version of the BCR. And after being suchfor 10 years, many people could not remember oreven know how the FCBS became the providerof such an invaluable service.

In June, the BSI had its annual meeting. Theagenda had a faint mention of the issue of theBCR. The issue of removing the FCBS frombeing the de facto on line BCR was notappropriately tabled, discussed, or voted upon.In a matter of minutes a pronouncement wasmade, and after adjournment, Joyce Brehm or heragents relayed the new BCR position (now to behandled by the BSI’s new webmaster) and thatthe FCBS was to be “left out of the loop.”

Until recently, the BSI page had a place whereyou hit the enter key for the Bromeliad Registryon line. That hyperlinked the web surfer to anFCBS site, which had been maintained for overone decade by Michael Andreas – at no cost.

The FCBS, upon receipt of instructions by theBSI that only the BSI shall receive futurecultivar information, decided to block decadesof work from its site. That elimination ofpublic access to the BCR has quaked thebromeliad world and shaken members of manyof the bromeliad societies.

The FCBS, upon receipt of instructions by theBSI that only the BSI shall receive futurecultivar information, decided to block decadesof work from its site.

If you go to that same site today, you get adifferent response than accomplished onlyweeks or months ago. From that hyperlinkhttp://fcbs.org/cgi-bin/dbman/db.cgi?db=bcr&uid=default you now receive the followingmessage, “DBMan encountered an internalerror. Please enable debugging to view.” If onegoes instead to http://fcbs.org/index.html wherethe most recently added items are listed, itappears the list is already many weeks out ofdate. In short, these sites with the allegedcomplete online database have apparently beenunplugged. Hence, the question becomes: Dowe have an accessible online database for thecultivars as of the time of this article?

Upon return to the BSI site, one discovers thatthere was a listing of Members Services whichincluded, “Cultivar Registry” and “CultivarRegistry List.” Upon hyperlinking either ofthose services, I was required to give my nameand password – which “. . . you can find theusername and password for accessing theMembers-Only section printed inside the backcover of each journal published (starting withthe 2009 journals).” Still a problem.

Even the members cannot presently access theBromeliad Cultivar Registry (“BCR”) site.Why? Because the FCBS, not the BSI, controlsthe internet server for said information.

I have never witnessed a more destructionaction than this within the organization.

Tom Wolfe, whose accomplishments include

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being a member of the Bromeliad Guild ofTampa Bay since l966, President in 1969,General Chairman of the l992 World BromeliadConference in Tampa, Chairman of the FloridaCouncil of Bromeliad Societies (three times), aBSI master judge, and former Director andSecretary of the BSI responded to the actionswith the following paragraph. “As a member ofthe Bromeliad Society International for overforty years, I have never witnessed a moredestruction action than this within theorganization. Should the BSI Board continue onthis pathway of inflexibility and beingunsympathetic to the efforts of its membership,and making difficult demands to get its way, theBSI’s future as a viable organization will becomemore problematic in growing and retaining itspresent membership.”

At present, the BCR is working in print, but noton line. The internet problem shall persist untilresolution between the BSI and FCBS can bemade. The problem will not just walk away.And, Joyce Brehm, the leader of the BSI, hasreceived significant comments – mostly bad –about the recent events and has called numerousparties to see what can be done to get out of thisbromeliad “pickle.”

The BromeliAdvisory wrote to Joyce Brehm andrequested a response as to one simple question:has there been communication to the FCBS toassure that they reopen the BCR on line site andallow them to continue with the same until theboard meets again in 2010 when the issue can betables, discussed, voted upon and determined?The response was silence by she.

An interesting response came from the editor ofthe BSI, Andrew Flower, who copied theBromeliAdvisory on August 18, 2009 with thefollowing letter that he had delivered to MichaelAndreas, “Would the FCBS be willing to acceptthe following proposal (I have Joyce Brehm'scommitment to agree if FCBS does - and if sherenegs I will resign as Editor immediately). Myown knowledge of how the online databasesystem was set up and operated is very limited,so please feel free to put me straight if I havemisunderstood anything!”

Four days later, the BromeliAdvisory received acopy of Michael Andreas’s response whichstated, “ My terms are as follows:

"First and foremost, the BSI must resolve thelegalities of their actions. In other words,saying "never mind" is not legal Parliamentaryprocedure. This is an internal issue for the BSI- and certainly needs to be handled internally.The actions that lead us to this point aresufficiently murky - and therefore must becleared up. I am not willing to proceed withoutclear, unambiguous BSI board action -otherwise the Council is pulled into the murkyfray.

BSI Purpose: The purposes of this society areto promote and maintain public and scientificinterest in the research, development,preservation, and distribution of bromeliads,both natural and hybrid, throughout theworld, and to promote fellowship.

"There must be a three party agreement inwriting between the BSI, FCBS and me.Everyone seems to assume that FCBS owns thedata base that drives the BCR. In reality, theintellectual property rights for that databasebelong to me. The Council does not have theauthority to order me to reinstate it. Thisagreement will spell out how long the Councilis to host the BCR; how the transition to thenew BCR will occur; and the responsibilities ofall parties. The BSI webmaster will need to beinvolved.

"A link from the Council site to the BCR onthe BSI site is no gift and no incentive to me.Especially if the link is to a BCR posted in theMembers Only section of the BSI site.Therefore the BCR must be in the BSI publicsection and available to all in perpetuity. Ifrankly do not need permission to link to thepublic section but I am concerned about theBSI making people pay (through membershipdues) for the ability to access the BCR.

"Finally, Joyce will provide a written apologyto me. This point is not negotiable at all."

Understandably, this response can only be readas harsh. The first point is factually correct.The above-recited errors in the parliamentaryprocedure, most particularly a lack of motionor vote, made the edict improper.

The second part is construed by many asincluding one party too many. Some havestated that Michael Andreas’s request to be a

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party is deemed excessive. And the focus of thisissue is between FCBS and BSI. No one doubtsthat Andreas can be there for FCBS, but hisdemand for his approval makes him ultra vires inhis capacity with FCBS.

The third request is perfect and parallels the“Goose” article by Alan Herndon below.

And, the last request, as simple and inexpensiveas it may appear, could be the deal breaker. Formany people engaged in a dispute, obtainingmoney is easier than a written apology. We canonly hope our internet version of the BCR is notcensored because of the lack of holographicinstrument which is worth no more than thepaper it is written on.

So what is presently available? Using the magicof google, I asked for “FCBS BCR” anddiscovered a 209-page cultivar list whichd o w n l o a d e d i n t o A d o b e a t :h t t p : / / w w w . b s i . o r g / b r o m _ i n f o /cultivar/BCR_Control_List_Dec2008.pdf.

Although it lacks the pretty pictures ordescriptions, the list is long and seems relativelycomplete. But, before you attempt to downloadthis matter, understand that 209-page Adobedocuments take minutes, which like a watchedboiling pot of water, seems to last an eternity.

One may wonder if the placement of the BCR inthe “members only” section of the BSI pagewould inevitably privatize access to the cultivarregistry – an act which any reasonable mindcould find to be contradictory to the purpose ofBSI: “The purposes of this society are to promoteand maintain public and scientific interest in theresearch, development, preservation, anddistribution of bromeliads, both natural andhybrid, throughout the world, and to promotefellowship.” By Laws Art II.

The By-laws of BSI further include the duty to“[P]ublish list of cultivars from time to time.”Standing Rule 6.4(f)(ii).

But, like most laws, all by-laws cannot foreseeall contingencies and may appear incomplete.So, not surprisingly, nothing in the By-Lawsaddresses whether the publications and cultivarlists can or cannot be limited to members only.Quite simply, this may mean information for theBCR may come to a cost for all parties. And,

after years of free access on the FCBS site, thepotential to create restricted access is bothinconvenient and inconsistent with previousbromeliad protocol.

Other cultivar registries grant access freely tot h e p u b l i c . H o s t a s(http://www.hostaregistrar.org/hosta_registration_ l i s t s .h tml); Amer ican Vio le t s(http://www.americanvioletsociety.org/Registry/Cultivar_Registry_Classification.htm);W a t e r L i l i e s(h t tp : / /ww w. v ic t o r i a - ad ven tu re .o rg /waterlilies/names/wgi_names_main.html);X e r i c P l a n t s ( h t t p : / / w w w .victoria-adventure.org/waterlilies/names/wgi_names_main.html) and more. Moredisturbing, is that when I went to google searchthe Bromeliad cultivar registry, it alwaysdelivered me to http://fcbs.org/cgi-bin/ whichdelivered the error message: “DBManencountered an internal error. Please enabledebugging to view.” This is both embarrassingand saddening.

As constant public access via the internetdelivers untold numbers to the FCBS sitewhich announces the “internal error” message– and tells the world that someone unpluggedthe public’s access to the Bromeliad CultivarRegistry – valuable goodwill and imagedeclines.

If the activity of the past few weeks proves tobe representative of events of the future, muchmore may occur. But, hopefully the respectivepersonalities of FCBS and BSI can curtailpersonal or other disagreements to provide anecessary service. Hopefully the silence of theBCR ends.

.EDITOR’s NOTE: Included in this editionwill be other articles by people describingtheir posture on this event

Why Kill the Goose That Lays the Golden Egg?By Alan Herndon

Recently the Bromeliad Society International(BSI) Board passed a resolution requiring theCultivar Registrar to cease sending informationon newly registered cultivars to FloridaCouncil of Bromeliad Societies (FCBS)

BROMELIADVISORYPage 11

website where an online version of the BromeliadCultivar Registry (BCR) has been developed overthe past several years. The FCBS webmaster, notunreasonably, saw this as a rejection of hisefforts over years and cut access to the onlineBCR. At this point, we are in a losing positionfor all parties. Worse, all bromeliad societies arenow in a position of failing to promotebromeliads, because they fail to makeinformation freely available to the public.

No one denies that BSI has a right to the nameBromeliad Cultivar Registry or that the BSI hasbeen designated the official registration agent forbromeliads. If the BSI feels it could design andimplement a superior online BCR, there isnothing to stop them from doing so. However,there is no reason why an official BSIimplementation of the BCR could not coexistwith the FCBS implementation. Given that itwill take a considerable number of months, if notyears, for BSI to design and create a new formatfor the BCR, having a fully updated FCBSversion would ensure that people needing toaccess the BCR during the interim period wouldnot be denied. Even when a BSI version is fullyoperational, there is a great advantage to havingtwo distinct BCR implementations online. Somepeople will undoubtedly find one version bestsuited to their individual needs and others willfind the other version better. Having bothversions available would, in fact, further the BSIaim of public outreach since it provides twice theinternet presence without extra expense to theBSI.

The BSI is a volunteer organization, and will bedependent on volunteers for the foreseeablefuture.

The BSI is a volunteer organization, and will bedependent on volunteers for the foreseeablefuture. Given this, the BSI would be wise toencourage innovation from all possible sources.Conversely, the biggest mistake the BSI couldmake would be to start deciding what potentialvolunteers can and cannot do. You can neverknow where important ideas will arise. As anexample, the FCBS version of the BCR wasdeveloped through collaboration of DerekButcher in Australia and Michael Andreas inFlorida. It is fair to say that both parties haveprofited from this collaboration.

Michael Andreas was given a ‘shovel-ready’project for the FCBS website and Derek Butcher

was given a well-visited forum for his writings.In the future, if someone from Australia orBrazil or Germany (or someplace no one wouldever think of in association with bromeliads)has an idea for an even better version of theBCR, and is willing to develop the idea withtheir own time and money, the BSI shouldsupport the effort wholeheartedly.

To thrive in coming years, the BSI will needaccess to the creative efforts of as manyvolunteers as possible

To thrive in coming years, the BSI will needaccess to the creative efforts of as manyvolunteers as possible. To ensure this access,the BSI board will need to monitor their ownactions carefully to avoid discouragingvolunteers through rules that quash innovation(even inadvertently) or by taking actions thatmay be seen as dismissive of others work.

The Horrible Demiseby Robert Meyer

Since the events described above commenced,and even after warp speed attempts to reconcileappeared to work, they failed.

Tom Wolfe’s letter contained many otherparagraphs, many of which are lesscomplimentary than that above.

Juan Espinoza, our member and the presidentof the FCBS, has been placed between Joyceand Michael – perhaps seen as between a rockand a hard place. With ultimatums requiringwritten apologies, mediation or reconciliationwill commence with the parties far apart. And,Juan – whether he wants to be involved or not– is involved and has sent a position paper ofhis own.

Pepe Donayre, ever the humble and even-tempered man, showed his frustration of theseevents and resigned from the BSI board. If theproblem is not remedied soon, moreresignations or losses may come. And, eventhe BSI editor may resign – read his quotationto Michael Andreas above.

Credibility standing on the shoulders of therespective society’s hierarchy may cascadequickly into the mire of one simple issue: allowthe FCBS to temporarily handle the BCR this

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year, re-table the issue for the July meeting,actually have discussion and vote; and, let thecards fall where they may.

One bromeliad observer, who wishes to remainanonymous, stated that his review of these eventsleads him to believe that “Extreme emotionalregional patriotism leads to brain cell convulsionwhich destroys all ability to think logically, anda blind attitude of self-righteous indignation thatlashes out at anyone not an ally that is obliviousto the destruction it causes. Juan, not Joyce istaking the brunt of the nastiness - she is probablyquite happy watching Florida commit public harikari, no doubt saying I told you what they arelike. It would be good if some Floridians wouldcontact Juan with a show of support.”

But, under the conditions recited by MichaelAndreas to the BSI in the above-quoted e-mail, itis best to reason that only Michael can put a stopto all of this.

Let us hope that he and Juan can do thisextremely large and difficult task, and in all duehaste.

Jose Donayre Resigns from BSILetter by Donayre to BSI’s President

Ms. Joyce BrehmsPresidentBromeliad Society International50898 Dawne St.San Diego, CA 92117-1252

Dear Joyce:

Thank you for your e-mail received yesterday.

I had been waiting for a statement from yourescinding the action proposed by you to have theBSI Registrar send cultivar informationexclusively to the BSI Webmaster, that is, tocease sending it to the FCBS Webmaster. The neteffect has been the interruption of a system thathas worked near perfection for almost ten yearsand the absurd mistreatment inflicted uponMichael Andreas who has had an exemplaryrecord in developing and maintaining the BCR inthe FCBS website.

In the meantime, a number of other interestedpeople have called your attention to the flaws

incurred in the procedure followed by theBoard. Besides not having informed the Boardon the matter 90 days prior to the meeting, thesubject was not in the official agenda and novote was taken. All these are in seriouscontradiction to the BSI By-laws.

Under the circumstances, I thought it wasreasonable for you to simply rescind the action.I thought that would have been the right andthe courageous thing to do. Instead, your e-mailproposes only to defer the action. I also thought that, acknowledging theprocedural errors in which we were allinvolved, if not unanimously at least a majorityof the Board members would press forrescission. There is no evidence of thishappening As a participant at the Board meeting inquestion it is impossible for me to disregard theobservations made to the way the issue wastaken by the Board. I am therefore tenderingmy resignation as Florida Director in the BSIBoard effective immediately.

Yours sincerely,Jose Donayre MD.

New MembersAdd this entry to your roster:John Leach & Kathleen Duffey2290 SW 36 AveCoral Gables, FL 33145305-444-6046

Clone Preservation Projectby Alan Herndon

TOPIC: Neoregelia olens complexAs currently recognized, members of the

Neoregelia olenscomplex are easilyrecognized by theirsmall, stoloniferousgrowth habit withrelatively wide leaveshaving conspicuousspines. Overlappingleaf sheaths form amore-or-less tubularr o s e t t e . T h emaximum number of

Neoreglia olens MariePhoto courtesy ofgnobromeliads.com

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leaves is around 20, but blooming plants usuallyhave fewer leaves and plants can bloom with ca.10 leaves. Leaves frequently have small red dotsscattered over the surface. Portions of the innerleaves color up during bloom, forming anorange-red circle around the inflorescence. Thesepals are frequently red, while the petals arepredominantly a dark violet-blue. Neoregelia olens was introduced to collections insouthern Florida around 1978. It was apparentlyintroduced into other areas of the country at the

same time,and in avariety offorms. It wasavailable in atleast 3 formsin southernFlorida. Neoo l e ns v a rolens was thelargest. Neoo l e n s c v .‘696' was thesmallest anddarkest form.

Neo olens cv. ‘Marie’ was intermediate in size.

Prior to the introduction of Neo olens to NorthAmerican collections, there were three mentionsof the species in the pages of the Journal of theBromeliad Society. Two of these dealt with thefact that the specific epithet olens suggests theplant is fragrant. (In the original description, W.J. Hooker explicitly states that olens refers to theodor produced by the decomposinginflorescence.) The third is a picture on the backcover of vol 25, number 3 that is labeled Neoolens from the collection of Rolf Rawe. Thepictured plant has far longer leaves than otherplants currently placed in the Neo olens complex.

After the plant was introduced, it was identifiedby Robert Read as Neoregelia olens. Since the

early introductionsi n c l u d e d s e v e r a ldifferent clones, muchc o n f u s i o n w a sgenerated. This calledforth a review of thespecies in the Journal ofthe Bromeliad Society37(4): 167-170. 1986, aswell as a reproductionof the original color

plate on page 152 of the same issue.

Three other species closely related to the plantswe call Neo olens have been described.Neoregelia camorimiana E. Pereira and I. A. Penna, Neo. eltoniana W. Weber and Neo.indecora (Mez)L. B. Smith. Plants we grow as

Neo. eltoniana have distinctly wider leaves,and a different appearance, than other entitiesin the olens complex, but the other two speciesare not as clearly distinct and could be treatedas extreme expressions of a variable Neo.olens.

In Neo camorimiana, there are usually a largernumber of leaves on each plant, and the leavesare longer, relatively narrower and stiffer. InNeo indecora, there are fewer leaves, the leavesare shorter and relatively wider. Moreinformation on the distribution of these formsin the wild would help us decide the propertaxonomic treatment.

Neo ‘fluminensis’ is a trade name for whatappears to be a verynice clone of Neoolens introduced inthe 1990's. Theleaves take on auniform red colorwhen grown hard.When the plants aregrowing rapidly, ascattering of red spotsis evident on the

leaves. Karl Green has in his collection a plantof this type collected by Wally Berg. It islabeled Neo aff. sapiatabensis. Aside frombeing at the larger end of the size range and theleaf color, it appears to fit well with the Neoolens forms introduced in the 1970's.

There is still clearly no consensus on how toidentify the different members of this complex.Harry Luther (in theJ o u r n a l o f t h eBromeliad Society4 7 ( 4 ) . 1 9 9 7 . )published photos helabeled Neo indecoraand Neo cf. eltoniana.His Neo cf. eltonianalooks much more likethe plants we grow asNeo camorimiana than the plants we grow asNeo eltoniana. In the Photo Index on theFlorida Council of Bromeliad Societies (FCBS)

Neoreglia olens x cruentaPhoto courtesy of FCBS by Michael

Andreas

Neoreglia camorimiana Photo courtesy ofTropiflora

Neoreglia fluminensis Photo courtesy of FCBS

Neoreglia eltonianaPhoto courtesy ofTropiflora

BROMELIADVISORYPage 14

website, the photo by Bromelario Imperialisunder Neo carmorimiana looks more like theplant we grow as Neo eltoniana. The photolabeled Neo indecora by Derek Butcher has waytoo many leaves for the plants we grow underthat name.

The most important question surrounding theN e o r e g e l i a o l e n scomplex is: how manydistinct clones arecurrently in cultivation?From what I know sofar, Neo olens cv ‘696'(left) and Neo olens cv‘Marie’ are well-definedclones. It also appearst h a t t h e N e o

camorimiana, Neo ‘fluminensis’ and Neoindecora in this country are each single clones.Many more distinct clones of Neo olens thatnever received names may have been importedduring the late 1970's and early 1980's.

What is in your collections? Do you have asingle form, several distinct forms, or severalplants labeled as distinct species? If you haveany plants in the complex that can be traced backto wild-collected plants (regardless of whetheryou have a name on the plant), please let usknow.

If you made the identification based on a specificpicture on the internet, please let us know whatpicture your plant most closely matches.

Try sending photos of plants if you are unsure ofthe name and cannot match it to any of theavailable pictures.

Coming Events

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2009Adopt-A-TreeJ.C. Bermudez Park - 3100 NW 87th Avenue

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009Annual Auction Bromeliad Society BrowardCountyAuction preview 6:30pm, bidding beginspromptly at 7:00pmFurther info contact Maureen Frazel atfrazelbroms@bellsouth.net

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2009Dog Day of Summer at Fairchild Sunday, September 27, 2009 from 9:30 AM to4:30 PM

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2009Annual BSSF AuctionFTBG 7:15 to PM-9:00

NOVEMBER 13TH - 15TH, 2009FCBS Bromeliad ExtravaganzaHosted by the Bromeliad Society of CentralFloridaRenaissance Orlando Hotel Airport5445 Forbes Place, OrlandoExtravaganza Sales RulesExtravaganza Registration Form

PHOTOS at SPECIAL EVENTS

Photo courtesy ofTropiflora

Two Life Members – Nat DeLeon (and wifeEileen) with new life member, Karl Green(right)

One year ago at the VA – those peopleremember just how hot it was.