"Uncle Derek Says"

Vriesea 'Kitteliana'

" This problem started when I queried the name of Vriesea 'Hoelscheriana' on a plant from Perth, Western Australia. Further investigation revealed that this name seemed correct although I could not find the original description. I did find plants similar to the Vriesea 'Hoelscheriana' but these were called Vriesea 'Kitteliana'. There were other plants called Vriesea 'Kitteliana' to add to the confusion. I was also advised by one of my New Zealand friends, Peter Waters, that MY Vriesea 'Hoelscheriana' was widespread in the USA as Vriesea 'Kitteliana'. Further investigations were needed! I was able to get Josef Bogner of the Munich Botanic Gardens to photocopy the 1890 edition of Gartenflora that contained the description of Vriesea 'Kitteliana' which I translated from the German. This is as follows: VRIESEA KITTELIANA (V barilletii x V saundersii) Hybridist: Georg Kittel. Gartenflora 39:326-329. Fig. 62.63.1890. Description:   L. Wittmack Plant:  Large, at flowering 70 cm to 1.3 m high. Leaves:  About 25-30, forming a rosette 60-80 cm diameter, erect then bending over, broad sheath at base, strap shaped, 35-60 cm long, 7-10 cm wide at base, 5-6 cm wide near top, abruptly narrowing to a bent tip, top side green, underneath light green, both sides shiny, fine streaked. Base wine red dotted, often scratched. Scape:   Erect, 30-40 cm high. Scape bracts:   Adjacent to scape, enveloping, long egg-shaped, acuminate, sticking out at the tip, green, wine red tinted at the tip or totally. Inflorescence:   30-50 cm long, with 7-10 erect, sticking out distichous spikes, the top spike totally erect. Spike:   8-20 cm long, to 6 cm wide, almost thick (1.25 cm) with 14-22 flowers. Primary bract:   Mostly large, to 5 cm long, acuminate, wine red spotted. Floral bract:   in the lower part of the spike boat shaped, green, wine red dotted and imbricate like the Mother V. barilletii in the upper part, lance like, the flower rolled and almost standing remote (1 cm apart) like the Father V. saundersii. Sepals:   As long as the floral bract, green-yellow. Petals:   Longer than sepals by 1 cm. yellow, the base with two entire, almost linear scales. Stamens:   Longer then petals. Ovary tapering with top shaped base sunk in the body of the flower: style a little longer than the stamens. Anther yellow, stigma greenish-yellow, lobes incised. Ovules in the upper part with appendix at top. In the Bromeliad Cultivar Registry page 385 we read descriptions from Bromeliad Treasury and BromsPadilla 127 that seem to relate to Vriesea 'Hoelscheriana'!! The illustration in BromKramer146ill is not definitive enough and could refer to many Vriesea hybrids. I suggest you make suitable amendments. Meantime, if you have a plant like the drawing with green floral bracts, spotted burgundy, please let me know. "

Photo Credits:
Vriesea 'Kitteliana' drawing - Derek Butcher