Pitcairnia tabuliformis ?!

Questions and answers about cultivation, propagation, fertilization, diseases and pestcontrol etc.

Moderator: Timm Stolten

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chanin
Beiträge: 243
Registriert: Dienstag, 11 Oktober 2005, 12:56
Wohnort: Bangkok

Pitcairnia tabuliformis ?!

Beitrag von chanin »

I just received this odd looking Pitcairnia from my friend.
He got it from Tropiflora in Florida, USA.
As I have no experience with this species before :roll:
So, could anybody please give me some advice?
Any data in its habitat would be appreciated :wink:

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I would like to meet new friends in other part of the world and would be glad to trade plants or seed from this part of the world.
Timm Stolten
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Lucky boy

Beitrag von Timm Stolten »

Oh Chanin,

there you hit one of my all time favorite bromeliads :!: :!: :!:
This is a very delicate one, but in my opinion maybe the most
beautiful bromeliad at all.

The normal habit is small rosette, with about 20cm in diameter.
You have probably already noticed that the leafs are very brittle.
Usually the leafs are standing abit upright in a more or less 45° angle.
But when it comes in bloom, all of a sudden the leafs are flatten down
to the ground so they assemble a plate, that is what the name
tabuliformis means.
And for only a few days you get these sensational bright orange
blossoms.

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I have to tell you guys a story about my plants......
When I started working with the bromeliads in Heidelberg,
at least 10 years ago, somebody sent me a little seedpod of
Pitcairnia tabuliformis. I did not know that species at that time
so I treated it like all other seeds. And they germinated like hell.
After 1 year I had over 200 seedling !!
I ran out of space in my greenhouse and so I tried to get rid of them,
thinking "if they grow like weed, it cannot be something special".
In the end I kept around 15-20 plants. How stupid I was !
Later on they became less and less every year.
Today there are only 4 left.

Cultivation:
Due to the fact that there was no person to ask about the cultivation I
had to experiment with them. What I can tell you so far is, that this
species is very delicate and needs a lot of attention, especially
in a european winter.
It prefers a rather cool environment, 15°C to 20°C I guess, so YOU
probably need to cool it down in Thailand.
It must be potted and likes a lot of water, but good drainage too.
Rauh notes in his book that it has a dormate period in the winter time,
which I cannot confirm so far, but maybe he ment it because of the
darkness here in Germany in winter.
Keep it shady and keep looking in the center and to the base every
other day. Constant moisture in the soil combined with low temperatures
and light can make it rott very fast.
And snails love the leafs :!:

Propagation:
As I said, seeds are the easiest way, but they are hard to get.
My plant seem to be steril, I pollinated them several times but never
got seeds. If you are lucky enough to get it into bloom,
and the first pups do appear:
WAIT............WAIT..............WAIT before you cut them off !!
I usually loose 2/3 of them when I tried root them too early.
Keep them together as long as you can and as long the motherplant
is still alive.

I have setup the data sheet for this species in the english Bromwiki
for you:
http://ephedra.hip.uni-heidelberg.de/br ... buliformis
Lets see if I (or anybody else) can find any more infos for you.

I keep my fingers crossed for you both because the flower are worth
all that work.
GOOD LUCK !!

Greetz Timm
║▌║▌║█║║▌║█║ Warnung! Falscher oder fehlender Kaffee - Benutzer angehalten
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chanin
Beiträge: 243
Registriert: Dienstag, 11 Oktober 2005, 12:56
Wohnort: Bangkok

Beitrag von chanin »

Ich danke Ihnen vielmals, Timm :D

Woww... your plant are amazing !!!
Anyway, I hope mine could grow well here, in hot Bangkok city :(

In fact, there is another one that is my 'Holy Grail' which I really want to have.....
Pitcairnia leopoldii...the king's Pitcairnia

Beyond the Pitcairnia tabuliformis, I just got another 'Holy Grail' ...
Encholirium horridum and few more Cryptanthus warasii

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I would like to meet new friends in other part of the world and would be glad to trade plants or seed from this part of the world.
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bromelia_boy
Beiträge: 25
Registriert: Samstag, 9 September 2006, 17:49
Wohnort: Moscow

Beitrag von bromelia_boy »

Hi Chanin! :)

I see the large part of the plants from your collection grows
in the big pots. Some of the plants sufficiently large and in this case
i have not questions, but others very small size. It really necessary
large pots? Always I think that brmeliads have underdeveloped
root system.
Vitaly
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chanin
Beiträge: 243
Registriert: Dienstag, 11 Oktober 2005, 12:56
Wohnort: Bangkok

Beitrag von chanin »

Yes Vitaly, I prefer to use quite a big container for most of my xeric brom,
particularly Dyckia as I noticed that they grow very fast here.
I have read in the Bromeliad Society/Houston's site they said...

"...Dyckias probably do best when they are grown in the ground.
If you do choose to grow them in pots, use one that will accommodate the plant's large root system.
This is one plant that appreciates a pot that is about as wide as or wider than the plant itself.
But WARNING: usually the larger the pot and the more the fertilizer the bigger the plant..."
I would like to meet new friends in other part of the world and would be glad to trade plants or seed from this part of the world.
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SSairplants
Beiträge: 113
Registriert: Sonntag, 6 Februar 2005, 18:14
Wohnort: Khon Kaen

Beitrag von SSairplants »

Wow Mr. Chanin, you are so lucky !
Words are like weapons. They wound sometimes.
Lieselotte Hromadnik
Beiträge: 66
Registriert: Sonntag, 23 Mai 2004, 21:17

Beitrag von Lieselotte Hromadnik »

We found Pitcairnia tabulaeformis growing near Pichucalcho, Chiapas, in 250m! The plants were growing between large rocks and water was flowing down (raining period). So I would say keep them warm and not too dry.
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chanin
Beiträge: 243
Registriert: Dienstag, 11 Oktober 2005, 12:56
Wohnort: Bangkok

Beitrag von chanin »

It must be my very pleasure to hear from the honourable person like you, Hromadnik :D

So, I could be clam down my worry about this jewel growth,
and be sure the plant will grow quite well in my tropical country.
I would like to meet new friends in other part of the world and would be glad to trade plants or seed from this part of the world.
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