I like the price - but what have I bought ?

Yesterday I went to Hampson's http://www.hampsonplantworld.co.uk/ in Wakefield - just for a day out. I had no intention of buying anything especially as I have no space..........Then I saw the sign - House Plants 75 % off. Well I had to do something, so I purchased these :-


£1.75 - but what is it? A Guzmania ?


£1.50 - this is presumably a Guzmania


75p - a white Gardenia with plenty of buds. The one next to it had a white flower - do they have any other color?


75p - I think this is a Maidenhead fern - though I gather there are many plants that go under that name. I have seen several identical looking plants on Google images, but they all have different names - Adantium capillus-veneris, A. raddianum etc. I don't suppose it matters.


25p. I have utterly no idea what this is, though it must be pretty common as there were two trays of it on sale. I did think 'Mind your own business' - but that has round leaves. Could it be a Selaginella?


£1.25. I think this is a Columnea, which has just finished flowering.

Any ideas?

 

Hi Peter, Only know Guzmaias are bromeliads, first one looks like a very interesting form, if it is one.
I think gardenias only come in white tending to turn slightly yellow as the flowers age, but very fragrant, I have tried the so called hardy one outside, but it never did well for me.

I know the next one as maidenhair fern but not good on fern names.
Some kind of clubmoss?

Think the last one might be Aeschynanthus ??????

 

Peter,with modern Genetic breeding there seems to be several new Broms introduced each year.
The first one looks like a Vriesea and the second is Guzmania (possibly Pink Snowball)
When I was growing them at Rochfords back in the late '60s there were only two or three varieties available, now there are hundreds, and some, now Guzmania, were known then as Caraguata.

The last one does look like Aeschynanthus as the leaves are longer and more pointed than Columnea. LongK might be of help here.

 

Are there any of the calyx left on it? Tubular would say Aeschynanthus but if the sepals are distinct it could be either Aeschynanthus or Columnea. The leaf shape in my limited (mostly OBG) experience is a bit of a blind alley, but Aeschynanthus leaves tend to be smoother than those of Columnea which tend to have ribbed foliage.

Anyway - the prices! Fine if they were at deaths door but they're not!! Almost worth a drive up north!

 

Strongy - many thanks for the name Vriesea. That looks much more like it.

The Guzmania pictures all seem to be very similar, but Vriesea has a lot more variety. The picture above is of Vriesea imperialis. Mine is clearly not the same - but there is some similarity. And really not like Guzmania. But as you say there are just so many.

Thanks Pete. It's a plant I have often seen in pictures but never owned. I have heard it's very fragrant so I will look forward to that.

LongK - I am interested that all three of you say Aeschynanthus. With such combined flower power I will have to take that suggestion very seriously. The reason I said Columnea is that I recently bought a Columnea (it must have had a label - because I couldn't have decided that on my own) from the same place, and it's in an identical container - but a slightly bigger plant. But as you said it does have a tubular calcyx, so it sounds as though you are right. I will take a closer look tomorrow.

 

I have done a bit more Googling of pictures and am still inclined to think the mossy one may be a Selaginella.

This is Salaginella apoda from the net. Again there are loads of species that all look similar.

I think that Vriesea imperialis looks really good - I want one now.

 

Thank you guys for your help. You were right about the Aeschynanthus . I found this on the net :-
It can be tricky telling them apart without flowers, but with flowers should be very easy.
Aeschynanthus usually have thicker, fleshier, and stiffer leaves than Columnea, the leaf veins are usually not very distinct, and the leaves are usually smooth (very rarely hairy). The stems are usually thin and wiry or woody. Columneas have thinner, more flexible leaves with more distinct veins, are usually hairy to some extent, and the stems are usually more fleshy or brittle.

In flower, most (but not all) Aeschynanthus will have a calyx that is fused into a tube or a cup; Columnea always have separate calyx lobes. Aeschynanthus usually (but not always) produce flowers in clusters at the ends of the stems, whereas Columneas nearly always produce flowers all along the stem in the leaf axils. Aeschynanthus flowers usually have anthers sticking way out of the flowers, and Columnea flowers usually have the anthers barely sticking out of the flower (if at all).

I already had two Aeschynanthus which were pretty upright, and a trailing Columnea, which was purchased recently from the same place. The new plant is also trailing and in an identical hanging pot to the Columnea - but slightly larger. So I assumed it was another Columnea. But I have had a closer look and its not quite the same as my existing Columnea, which has slightly ribbed leaves, compared to the smooth leaves of the new plant. Also the new plant has a few old tubular calyxes from an earlier flowering, though the leaves didn't seem to be any less hairy. So I have learnt something new.

 

And so have I!
This photo of Columnea schiedeana at OBG shows all these notable features quite well........................




Of course the other main difference between the two genus is one is from Asia and the other from South America.

 

Thanks LongK - lovely picture.

My plants have flowered in the past - but I never bothered to look that closely. It takes something like this thread to evoke my curiosity and I will certainly be looking closely at their flowers in the future. Currently the new plant is in a pot hanging from the roof of my garden roof - which is the only space left.

 

I used to grow Aeschynanthus marmoratus which fits not into the "usually" category but into the "but not always" category instead - separated sepals on the calyx and the flowers are borne on the leaf axils..................


At OBG the Columnea are grown in the heated passageway and the Aeschynanthus are grown in the far more humid Lily House.

 

Most of those ID's cover it I think. Interestingly I'm trialling Guzamania lingulata (the one in the second photo above) outside in sheltered area.. and surprisingly, it's holding it's own in a pot of damp compost.

 

It sounds impossible for a Guzmania to survive outside - but I know very little about them. Do keep us posted on how it gets on.

 

Guzmanias are less likely to survive a cold spell compared to Billbergia and Tilllandsia due to their softer leaves but it is worth a try, particularly if it doesn't get colder than at present.
It will be interesting to see how it copes.