'Auntie Margaret Queries'

Aechmea roberto-seidelii

Margaret Butcher

In 1981 seed named Aechmea roberto-seidelii was on the list. Three of us from Adelaide got seed and grew on the plants expecting plants like Aechmea pineliana (A. roberto-seidelii was a synonym) but got plants like Aechmea warasii. Some had totally green leaves and an inflorescence like A. racinae. Clearly the seed was allied to the racinae/victoriana/warasii complex and probably of hybrid origin.
By 1986 we came across Aechmea seideliana v. purpurea and v. rubrafolia which had been imported as plants from the USA and which were not only similar to each other but similar to our red-leaved hybrids! All clearly variations on Aechmea warasii or A. racinae. If they had reddish leaves then Aechmea warasii was the favourite name used. As an aside, it is interesting that "intermedia" started its career as a variety of Aechmea racinae but finished up a variety of A. warasii.

In 1990 Alvim Seidel did advise us that HIS Aechmea roberto-seidelii had a pendent inflorescence like A. racinae so even he was confused. It does suggest that he supplied the seed in 1981 to the Seed Fund. No wonder Baensch misidentified A. 'seideliana' in his book (see Uncle Derek says) because plants had been in circulation under this name for many years in the USA with no-one checking against the description.

Auntie Margaret

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6-27-99
A comment from Geoff Johnson, Pineapple Place, Longwood,FL:
"Auntie Margaret"
We also obtained Ae. roberto seidelii from A. Seidel in the mid 1970's.
This was the dark ages of bromeliads in this country, for that matter almost any country.The plant first flowered and immediately it was clear that it wasn't true to name.
It keyed somewhere in the area of Ae. warasii or if you wanted to go the other way toward Ae. racinae.
We compromised and labelled it racinae tubiliformis, not a very good practice but it was better than calling it by it's other alias. I concur with your observation that it must be one from the warasii ,racinae woodpile.
Geoff Johnson
Pineapple Place

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