The Genus Racinaea
 
There has been a lot of interest lately in the different species of Racinaea that we grow and offer for sale. Racinaea have unusual shapes, some with twisted curly edged leaves. Some species even have semi-bulbous rosettes. They are very popular with those who grow plants in vivariums or terrariums.  Therefore, I thought I would do a little "general care" write up for this Genus. 
 
The genus Racinaea belongs to the Bromeliaceae family and is composed of epiphytic plants native to Central and South America, particularly in montane cloud forests. Formerly considered part of the Tillandsia genus, Racinaea was later reclassified due to distinct morphological and genetic differences. There are currently 86 recognized species listed in the Encyclopaedia of Bromeliads, which is one of the best online sources for Bromeliad species information.

Key Characteristics:

1. Growth Habit: Most Racinaea species are epiphytic, meaning they grow on other plants without being parasitic. They thrive in humid, misty environments such as cloud forests. They range in size from a few inches to two feet tall with an inflorescence a few inches tall to as much as 4-6 feet.
2. Leaves: The leaves are often soft, narrow, and form a rosette, which helps collect water. Many have a bulbous shaped rosette. The leaves range in color from light green, to reddish brown, to brown. Several species have colorful dark spotting on their leaves.
3. Flowers: The inflorescences are usually simple, a few are branched, and range in color from yellow, red, orange, brown, green to almost black. Many species are less showy than other bromeliads. 
4. Adaptability:  We grow all our Racinaea in about 60-70 shade, in an unheated greenhouse. Temperatures range from 36 F to 90F. These species are less drought-tolerant than other bromeliads. They are considered mesic species, as they are found growing in moist humid areas where there is an abundance of moisture available to them.​ They prefer reverse osmosis water, or water with a low mineral content.

Racinaea crispa
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Description: Known for its curly, crisped leaves, this species is particularly distinctive. The leaf edges tend to roll inward, creating a twisted appearance.  We currently offer three forms of crispa - green, red or yellow.

• Habitat: Native to humid cloud forests, 800 to 1800 meters in Panama and Columbia.

Care Tip: This species thrives in high humidity and moderate light conditions.They prefer filtered water.

Racinaea tillii
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​Description: A small to medium size species with a distinct bulbous rosette.
​Habitat: Found growing from 2400 - 2700 meters elevation in Ecuador.

• Care Tip: Prefers filtered light and good airflow to prevent rot.

​Racinaea hamaleana

Description: This medium sized Racinaea forms a stemless rosette and branched inflorescence which rises above the foliage. It produces beautiful open purple petals with white centers. The flowers are pleasantly fragrant. We grow two sizes, a small form and a larger form. This image is the larger one.
Habitat:  Found growing in the cloud forest, 540-1500 m elevation in Ecuador and Panama. 
​Care Tip: Needs regular watering.  Grow in medium to bright light.

Racinaea Dr. Seuss

• Description: This hybrid was created by Jeffrey Kent, Kent's Bromeliads.  It appears to be hybrid of Racinaea dyeriana and pendulispica

Habit: Grows tall, upright leaves, sometimes spotted like those of dyeriana. The outer edge of the leaves are slightly undulated.
Inflorescence: Tall, heavily branched with strong orange, sometimes yellow-orange color.
Care Tip: Prefers shady conditions and clean water. 

     Racinaea are a perfect addition to any vivarium. They will thrive in the conditions of most vivariums which usually have just enough humidity and light. 

​When Virginia Azevedo repotted her first orchid at Bird Rock Tropicals in 1998, she had no idea where her new adventure would lead. At that time she didn't know she would be shipping plants all over the world every week, or that she would be trusted to care for some of the world's most rare and exotic plants. She also didn't know she was starting a 20+ year adventure that would lead her to managing one of the most well known and well respected Tillandsia nurseries in the world. On August 31st, that adventure comes to a bittersweet end as Virginia retires to enjoy camping, traveling, gardening, and family time.

A few years after giving birth to her youngest son, Virginia was ready to jump back into the workforce, but wasn't sure what she wanted to do. After having previously worked at Stewart Orchids in Carpentaria, she returned to the nursery for one of their events. A little nursery called Bird Rock Tropicals was a vendor at the event, and that is when Virginia first met Pam Koide (now Pam Hyatt). Pam encouraged Virginia to come check out the nursery as she and her family were living not too far away in Oceanside at the time. After the two of them chatted for a bit, they both realized they had found a good fit.

Virginia spent several years separating and repotting orchids, which used to be a major focus at Bird Rock. Eventually Pam found out Virginia had some office skills and experience, so she was recruited to help with admin tasks. As the team continued to evolve, Virginia became a vital part of the operation, learning the ins and outs of international import and export, and eventually around 2012, she became the full time manager. One of Virginia's challenges in her time at Bird Rock has been the same challenge a lot of small businesses face; Virginia was a sales rep, and head of shipping, and she watered, and separated plants, and worked on spreadsheets, and the list goes on and on! It can be a challenge to balance and manage a lot of tasks at once, but through this experience Virginia learned to prioritize tasks, say no when she needs to, and stay organized. While being on a small team can be a challenge, Virginia also enjoyed that, as a team, they could pretty much try anything and if it didn't work, regroup and try it different!

Through all of the different things she has done at and for Bird Rock, handling the plants is still Virginia's favorite part of the job. Virginia takes time each day to enjoy the beauty that the plants around her possess, which is so important because it's easy to get distracted by the work and miss it. Over the years, one plant has shone above them all in Virginia's eyes; Tillandsia eizii. Bird Rock had a pair of them bloom many years ago, and they put on quite a remarkable show.

After starting her working life at 13 years old picking string beans, Virginia can hang her hat up and hold her chin up high knowing she had a meaningful and lasting impact on many. Virginia has a bright and cheerful demeanor that is a pleasure to be around, and the absence of it will certainly be felt. She is kind to all, fun to chat with, and an incredibly hard worker.
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Virginia can now look forward to more bike rides, more walks at the beach, more camping, and more gardening. Here's to you Virginia, thank you for everything you have done for Bird Rock Tropicals, this place would not be what it is without you!

Cork has been used for mounting orchids and bromeliads for years. Tillandsia airplants grow best when attached to cork bark. The uneven surface is perfect for finding just the right spot to attach them to. They will quickly root and become permanent. ​
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I just returned from tens days in Portugal and spent several days in Alentejo, walking in some old cork oak forests. ​Alentejo is in south central Portugal and is where the majority of the cork trees are farmed. 

Get ready to change the labels on many of your plants, but don't remove the old name. You never know when that name may be resurrected. 

An ongoing study of Bromeliaceae, by a group of cooperating scientists, has lead to proposed new reclassifications for subfamily Tillandsiodeae. Using DNA sequencing, in combination with morphological characteristics, they determine which species have common ancestors. The authors are proposing further taxonomic splits to a number of genera to form monophyletic classifications.

Herb Plever, Editor of Bromeliana, has done an excellent job explaining all these changes. For more in-depth (and scientific) explanation, see Herb Plever's original article here in Bromeliana newsletter.

This year, the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), concluded its 17th Conference on October 4th 2016, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The CoP meets every two to three years to review the implementation of the Convention. During the two-week conference species are added or removed from Appendix listings. In 2013, three Tillandsia species were removed from CITES. ​

Have you ever wondered how and why plants are named? I stumbled upon this BBC Series - A Botany A Blooming History. This series "tells the story of how people came to understand the natural order of the plant world". This quest to discover how plants grow uncovered the secret life of plants on our planet.  

Part I of this series explains classification which is based on morphology and reproductive biology, and has existed for more than 300 years. All this is changing as a result of DNA sequencing. This video not only explains the history of traditional classification but also shows how DNA sequencing is explaining plant relationships.

Grab a cup of tea and enjoy this nearly hour long video.  

This Summer has been one of the hottest yet!  And to top it off in California we are experiencing our  longest drought.  Sprinklers are reduced to 10 minutes per station, only 3 days per week.  All the lawns are starting to turn brown.  At the nursery we can continue to water, as we have always done our watering by hand and that is not restricted. 

We always use, and recommend using, the Fogg-It Nozzles.  They are available in 1, 2, and 4 gallons per minute.  We use the 2 GMP on seedlings and the 4 GMP on everything else.  The nozzles produce a heavy spray that feels like it's raining, which makes your tillandsias happy too!  They also add additional moisture in the air, which is beneficial during periods of low humidity. And these nozzles work great for watering large clumps and balls.  They have enough pressure to get the ball spinning so you are able to water all plants and all sides quite easily.

During the long Summer days, I recommend watering either very early in the morning or very late in the afternoon, just before sunset.  This allows the moisture to settle on the leaves for a longer period of time, thus allowing the water to pass into the leaf tissue.  If you water midday you are wasting water and time, as the plants will dry off long before any of the water has been absorbed.

If you are growing under shade cloth, one trick you can do on extremely hot days is wet the shade cloth as you are watering.  This will cool the temperature of the air as it is passing through the shade cloth, almost as if you have turned on an air conditioner.

Here are two short video showing how the Fogg-It nozzle "rains" on your plants.

Summer is a great time to have some fun photographing all the different flowers of your bromeliads.  I took these photos today during the "golden hour" when the light is perfect.  Using other plants as the background I let the natural light highlight the blur and create something different.  With all the different shapes and colors of the bromeliad flowers you can really be creative.  Practice doing this, all in camera, no tripod, flash or post processing.  Can you recognize and name these flowers?