"Uncle Derek Says"

Aechmea 'Electra' / 'Electrica'

" Aechmea 'Electra' or is it Aechmea 'Electrica', see Bromeliad Cultivar Registry entry at 2008: below AECHMEA 'Electrlca (Electra)' Hummel <1970 cv. of dealbata X (miniata v. discolor x fasciata) - A hardy hybrid with broad dark red/green discolored 18" leaves in a loose urn shape - wide branched orange-red inflorescence - Hummel said, "The best for flowers, form, color and easy culture". (Hummel's catalogs show 'Electrica' rather than 'Electra') - Jungle Gardens said, "Resembles a giant fulgens v. discolor with wide leaves - Globose flower head much like the shape of Aechmea fasciata - all red, rose and yellow". Seed Parent - dealbata. Pollen Parent - miniata v. discolor x fasciata HumCat, PltShopCat1976, BSI-ICBH-1979, SDDN1976ill, Baensch 78,79ill., KentCat1971, GN1972, HK1981 AECHMEA 'Electrlca Red Line' Named by Lawn G 2001 A Sport of 'Electrica' (alias 'Electra'). Has been known also as 'Roseo- Lineata' but this Latinised name is not acceptable. Odd things happen to Aechmeas if they have those reddish-brown striations on their leaves. Certainly, 'Kiwi' has odd flowers for a standard Aechmea fasciata with its much paler bracts and white petals with blue edges. But at least it is normal looking. The reddish-brown striated version of Aechmea 'Electrica' is very unstable as shown in photograph 1. Even when an almost normal offset is grown on, the inflorescence is likely to be odd. See photograph 2 where the centre spike does not come to a point. There is always the chance of a true monstrose form with photograph 3 showing real promise. If we could really stabilise this phenomenon then we could truly call it by our favoured name 'Compost'. If anyone knows how this variegated form came about please let us know. Secondly, if you have experienced similar happenings to Aechmea please give us details. We understand this variegated plant is circulating under the unofficial name of Aechmea 'Electra Rosea Lineata'. We cannot do much about anglicising Hummel's original name of 'Electrica' so this Sport will be listed in the BCR as 'Electrica Red Line'." Notes added 9 Oct 2009. Greetings. I read with interest your article on the Aechmea in question. My name is Jim Gillie and back in the early 1980s I was an avid collector of Bromeliads, I even had a small mail order Bromeliad nursery in San Marcos Ca. with a small catalog which I advertised in the Bromeliad Society Journal called "Bromeliad Kingdom" I was a teenager at that time. I had gotten a plant tagged Aechmea 'Electra' from another collector, However the plant that I got, developed a lower leaf that was striated and when it reached maturity I removed 3 pups and then when the 4th pup sprouted it was from behind the striated leaf. The entire plant had this striation from which I grew several pups that consistently exhibited the same characteristics. After meeting with the late Bill Seaborne -Author and owner of Seaborne Del Dios Nursery - he said 'Rosea Lineata" would be an appropriate cultivar name for this plant. So I marketed the plant as A. Electra 'Rosea -Lineata'. An interesting thing about this plant is that it tends to be much more upright then the original parent plant. I sold and traded quite a few of these plants. I even have an old Newspaper article about my discovery in my scrapbook. Jim

Aechmea 'Electrica' photograph 1

Aechmea 'Electrica' photograph 2

Aechmea 'Electrica' photograph 3

Aechmea 'Electra'

Aechmea 'Electra'

Aechmea 'Electrica Red Line'

Photo Credits:
Aechmea 'Electrica' 1, 2, and 3 - Jarka Rehak
Aechmea 'Electra' - Derek Butcher
Aechmea
'Electrica Red Line' - Geoff Lawn