5 replies to this topic

[Vertigo]

Anyone try growing B. reducta from seed by any chance?  I'm curious as to the challenge of this.  I know growing tillandsia from seed can be a bit of an adventure.

[Frederick]

Talk about coincedence!

i harvested B. reducta seeds (sorry,not for me but for the Drosera
seedbank) last week. Two seedcapsules matured (out of hundreds)
to reveal string-like seeds. Brocchinias are a real pain in the thing to
pollinate so I was quite disappointed to find my labour had only partially
payed of. Any advise on getting them started would be wellcome, the
Belgian CP-posse thanks you.

Frederick

[Steve Stewart]

Hello Frederick, Vertitgo & all,

Sorry for the late comments but I'm a newbie here.

I have grown B. reducta from seed with about the same results as I have gotten with other dry seeded bromeliads. They germinate readily from fresh seed, but fungus gets many seedlings.

Frederick you mention string like seeds in very few pollinated capsules. In my experience the seeds were small, dark brown samara, and quite numerous. My Catopsis berteroniana has what I might call string like seed or plumose appendages (Wunderlin) and white, like Tillandsia, when harvested, but most capsules matured for me.

I am now wondering if I have a B. reducta, because I cannot find any seed information for this species available in any databanks.

Does anyone have a source of published information with complete description of this species?

Steve

[Steve Stewart]

tuteca,

I started with a single plant of Brocchinia reducta, and pollinated the flowers with my finger , in a Florida greenhouse. From what I can tell this species has flowers that are complete - sepals, petals, pistils and stamens. It seems that not all flowers are able to produce functional ovaries (seed capsules) for seed production. I don't know if this is due to environmental factors or normal for the species.
The seeds my plant produced were small dark brown Samara. Not white parachute like seeds that are found in Catopsis berteroniana of the Tillandsioideae group of bromeliads. Brocchinia is in the Pitcairnioideae group.
One of the plants I grew from seed is flowering and about to set more seed (I hope), with the care of Brian Barnes.
I have been unable to produce any quantity or good quality of viable seed in my apartment, though my plants (seed grown siblings) flower annually. Hopefully Brian will be able to get good photographs of large amounts of seed, and I can again start growing more plants from some of the seed produced.

I hope this helps. If you have more information about this species I would enjoy learning from you.

Take care,
Steve Stewart

Edited by Steve Stewart, 13 July 2008 - 19:16 PM.