can anyone identify this for me? picked up on freecycle today. the leaves have serrated edges.

bluegreen said:

can anyone identify this for me? picked up on freecycle today. the leaves have serrated edges.

You might need to wait and get a pic of a fresh flower.

bluegreen said:

can anyone identify this for me? picked up on freecycle today. the leaves have serrated edges.

You can find this on most Australian doorsteps or verandahs.. or gardens.. usually in pots.. it loves drainage and being rootbound.. I forget its name.. but it has blue flowers.. from memory.. a very tough plant.

bubba louie said:

You might need to wait and get a pic of a fresh flower.

I thought as much but doesn’t hurt to ask :D

There is a bud in the 2nd picture you may have noticed.

If I divide it up now, will that upset the flower bud too much? There are lots of plants in that clump.

roughbarked said:

You can find this on most Australian doorsteps or verandahs.. or gardens.. usually in pots.. it loves drainage and being rootbound.. I forget its name.. but it has blue flowers.. from memory.. a very tough plant.

the previous owner had it in that ‘styrene box for about 4 years without any attention, even water. So it is obviously tough – just the sort I like. Will it go in the ground OK do you think?

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

can anyone identify this for me? picked up on freecycle today. the leaves have serrated edges.

You can find this on most Australian doorsteps or verandahs.. or gardens.. usually in pots.. it loves drainage and being rootbound.. I forget its name.. but it has blue flowers.. from memory.. a very tough plant.

rough and when it flowers it has a stalk and a few flowers on top of that that hang down like tear drops? if planted out in the open it will spread?

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

You can find this on most Australian doorsteps or verandahs.. or gardens.. usually in pots.. it loves drainage and being rootbound.. I forget its name.. but it has blue flowers.. from memory.. a very tough plant.

the previous owner had it in that ‘styrene box for about 4 years without any attention, even water. So it is obviously tough – just the sort I like. Will it go in the ground OK do you think?

Where do you live.. Nowra? or therabouts?

um yeah it will grow in your soil and conditions.

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

You can find this on most Australian doorsteps or verandahs.. or gardens.. usually in pots.. it loves drainage and being rootbound.. I forget its name.. but it has blue flowers.. from memory.. a very tough plant.

the previous owner had it in that ‘styrene box for about 4 years without any attention, even water. So it is obviously tough – just the sort I like. Will it go in the ground OK do you think?

Where do you live.. Nowra? or therabouts?

um yeah it will grow in your soil and conditions.

Melbourne

veg gardener said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

can anyone identify this for me? picked up on freecycle today. the leaves have serrated edges.

You can find this on most Australian doorsteps or verandahs.. or gardens.. usually in pots.. it loves drainage and being rootbound.. I forget its name.. but it has blue flowers.. from memory.. a very tough plant.

rough and when it flowers it has a stalk and a few flowers on top of that that hang down like tear drops? if planted out in the open it will spread?

will it spread? // well fom the fact that most people grow it in pots.. I can imagine that’s why they have kept it in pots.. because it grows in pots unaided.. which of course indicates that it needs no assistance for survival in the wild. go figure.. I doubt many have tried it out there as have seen little evidence of it on weeds lists but.. who knows.. maybe it does not seed readily.. and maybe due to a preference for being rootbound.. it doesn’t need to propagate by spreading far.

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

the previous owner had it in that ‘styrene box for about 4 years without any attention, even water. So it is obviously tough – just the sort I like. Will it go in the ground OK do you think?

Where do you live.. Nowra? or therabouts?

um yeah it will grow in your soil and conditions.

Melbourne

which part? soils are generally heavy around Melb.

veg gardener said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

can anyone identify this for me? picked up on freecycle today. the leaves have serrated edges.

You can find this on most Australian doorsteps or verandahs.. or gardens.. usually in pots.. it loves drainage and being rootbound.. I forget its name.. but it has blue flowers.. from memory.. a very tough plant.

rough and when it flowers it has a stalk and a few flowers on top of that that hang down like tear drops? if planted out in the open it will spread?

Not that one veg, look at the dead flower.

Just thought it good be like the one we have here, looks the same but if its not in the pot it spreads, and it has the blue flowers.

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Where do you live.. Nowra? or therabouts?

um yeah it will grow in your soil and conditions.

Melbourne

which part? soils are generally heavy around Melb.

SE suburbs. clay subsoil, but I have areas that have been built up with lighter soil.

Is this the one you mean veg?

http://images.google.com.au/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=billbergia+nutans&rlz=1R2ADBF_enAU335&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=hfm-Sr3MGZOQsgPmzcAk&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1

bubba louie said:

Is this the one you mean veg?

http://images.google.com.au/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=billbergia+nutans&rlz=1R2ADBF_enAU335&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=hfm-Sr3MGZOQsgPmzcAk&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1

not sure if it is exactly=nutans but Billbergia springs to mind yep. ;)

roughbarked said:

bubba louie said:

Is this the one you mean veg?

http://images.google.com.au/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=billbergia+nutans&rlz=1R2ADBF_enAU335&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=hfm-Sr3MGZOQsgPmzcAk&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1

not sure if it is exactly=nutans but Billbergia springs to mind yep. ;)

Nutans is very common but it doesn’t match the dead flowers in BG’s photos.

bubba louie said:

roughbarked said:

bubba louie said:

Is this the one you mean veg?

http://images.google.com.au/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=billbergia+nutans&rlz=1R2ADBF_enAU335&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=hfm-Sr3MGZOQsgPmzcAk&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1

not sure if it is exactly=nutans but Billbergia springs to mind yep. ;)

Nutans is very common but it doesn’t match the dead flowers in BG’s photos.

and there are thousands of bilbergias.

Happy searching. LOL

http://fcbs.org/pictures.htm

Looks like a Queen’s Tears that’s finished flowering…they don’t like the afternoon sun…well not up here they don’t…

bubba louie said:

Not that one veg, look at the dead flower.

Did that: not Queen’s Tears after all if that multi-seeded thing is the dead flower…sorry…

Bilbergia nutans is the one I call Queen’s Tears, and as you can see the flower is nothing like yours, BlueGreen…

bluegreen said:

can anyone identify this for me? picked up on freecycle today. the leaves have serrated edges.

I’m probably too late but they look like pineapples to me.

pomolo said:

I’m probably too late but they look like pineapples to me.

no. I think the flower bud is the wrong shape for pineapples, and the leaves are longer and thinner.

pomolo said:

bluegreen said:

can anyone identify this for me? picked up on freecycle today. the leaves have serrated edges.

I’m probably too late but they look like pineapples to me.

Probably wrong too. lol.

bluegreen said:

pomolo said:

I’m probably too late but they look like pineapples to me.

no. I think the flower bud is the wrong shape for pineapples, and the leaves are longer and thinner.

also the pineapple flower nested in the crown of the leaves, isn’t it? where here it is on a stem.

bluegreen said:

pomolo said:

I’m probably too late but they look like pineapples to me.

no. I think the flower bud is the wrong shape for pineapples, and the leaves are longer and thinner.

The pineapple fruit is the flower. Not that ir matters now.

pomolo said:

bluegreen said:

pomolo said:

I’m probably too late but they look like pineapples to me.

no. I think the flower bud is the wrong shape for pineapples, and the leaves are longer and thinner.

The pineapple fruit is the flower. Not that ir matters now.

Hello BG. Not a bad find there.

pomolo said:

Hello BG. Not a bad find there.

yes. I wasn’t sure what I was in for and got quite excited when I saw it.

Dinetta said:

Looks like a Queen’s Tears that’s finished flowering…they don’t like the afternoon sun…well not up here they don’t…

I don’t think so.

a lead over at the GE forum has resulted in this which looks close…

Aechmea distichantha

bluegreen said:

a lead over at the GE forum has resulted in this which looks close…

Aechmea distichantha

Ah, ok. So you got all your answers. You can see how it grows in the soil and all. :)

Aechmea distichantha (Brazilian vaseplant, vase plant) is a bromeliad typical of Cerrado vegetation in Brazil, which is also native to northern Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. This plant is often used as an ornamental plant.

The following varieties are recognized:

* Aechmea distichantha var. distichantha Lem. * Aechmea distichantha var. glaziovii (Baker) L.B.Sm.(1943) * Aechmea distichantha var. schlumbergeri E.Morren ex Mez (1892) * Aechmea distichantha var. vernicosa E.Pereira (1979)

the flowers will be the telling. I have emailed the previous owner to find out what the flower colour was. But there are also a number of flower spikes on the plant so I will know soon enough. The size and clumping habit and leaf colour look about right though.

bluegreen said:

the flowers will be the telling. I have emailed the previous owner to find out what the flower colour was. But there are also a number of flower spikes on the plant so I will know soon enough. The size and clumping habit and leaf colour look about right though.

Yes they do…and that’s good info RoughBarked put up…

I’m planning to plant out my broms (only got 2 types), and am considering removing some leaf mulch from the brigalow gilgai at the bottom of the road to “set” them on…Fashionasta planted hers straight into some very sandy dirt in an excellent position and they have been no trouble for her…

there are now 21 of them, 3 with flower buds. Will heel them into the ground for now, as I am going to have to get some potting mix. What would be the best type to get? Something free draining I expect. Something like orchid mix? or this that a bit too much drainage?

bluegreen said:

there are now 21 of them, 3 with flower buds. Will heel them into the ground for now, as I am going to have to get some potting mix. What would be the best type to get? Something free draining I expect. Something like orchid mix? or this that a bit too much drainage?

Check my answer on GE.

bubba louie said:

Check my answer on GE.

too late! lol!

bluegreen said:

there are now 21 of them, 3 with flower buds. Will heel them into the ground for now, as I am going to have to get some potting mix. What would be the best type to get? Something free draining I expect. Something like orchid mix? or this that a bit too much drainage?

Orchid mix is recommended, I believe…they like to sit on top of the soil in the leaf mulch, from what I’ve seen…

Looks like the flowers are going to be yellow with reddish bracts.

Flower of Aechmea comata looks very close although the shape of the leaf and the flower bud is not right.

well I was wrong about yellow flowers, they are coming out a pinky purple!!

how the flower looks today…

bluegreen said:

how the flower looks today…

Stunning, BlueGreen! A credit to you…

bluegreen said:

how the flower looks today…

nicepela!

bluegreen said:

how the flower looks today…

Definately worth the price you payed for them BG.