Aechmea hoppii
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Aechmea hoppii
Species
Ian Hook 07/06 from Peter Tristram Forest Drive Nursery Repton. Labelled cv Bob.
Ian Hook 03/08

Ian Hook 03/08

Ian Hook 03/08
hoppii as per Catlan

hoppii "Bob" with "normal" in background. Eileen Killingley
hoppii "Bob". Peter Tristram

Eileen Killingley and Ian Hook have both purchased plants from Peter Tristram labelled "Bob". Photos of Ian's plant are shown above, with pure white flowers in rich red bracts. Eileen's plant appears to have wonderful blue flowers, or 1/2 white 1/2 blue, or fading from white to blue. Ian's plant has not shown this trait.
Peter Tristram has commented....
"Hi Eileen
There were 2 clones of hoppii – one I obtained from Cheryl Basic – it had red tipped leaves and was in full bloom and the other I call Bob (after Bob Christoffel) which were either in full bloom or past bloom. The one pictured is past bloom and the blue ‘flowers’ are actually ripe seed pods which I suggest you grow as they could be selfs or hybrids made by my honey eaters. It was stunning a few of months ago with brilliant red bracts and red flowers. The beauty of these 2 clones is their cold tolerance whereas most of my other forms of hoppii have died after/during winter long ago. They are more compact too."

Aechmea hoppii (Harms) L B Smith, Phytologia 4: 213, pl. 1, figs. 1, 2. 1953
Streptocalyx hoppii Harms, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 12: 526. 1935.
Streptocalyx colombianus L B Smith var. laxus E Gross, Trop. Subtrop. Pflanzenwelt 65: 72-5. 1988
Desc from S&D
Plant 4-6 dm high.
Leaves rosulate, 6-10 dm long, inconspicuously brown-lepidote;
Sheaths elliptic, 15 cm long, dark castaneous basally,
Blades linear, acuminate into a pungent subulate cusp, 3-4 cm wide, concolorous, sublaxly serrulate.
Scape straight;
Scape-bracts erect, imbricate, broadly ovate with narrowly triangular blades, densely serrate.
Inflorescence bipinnate, cylindric, 12-30 cm long, subglabrous;
Primary bracts like the scape-bracts but with short blades or merely apiculate, exceeding the spikes, subchartaceous;
Spikes densely few-flowered.
Floral bracts ample, equaling the sepals, densely spinose-serrate;
Flowers sessile.
Sepals broadly obovate, apiculate, 13-15 mm long, serrulate, free;
Petals 17-20 mm long, obtuse, bearing 2 long obtuse scales at base;
Ovary 6-8 mm long, epigynous tube crateriform, very short, placentae apical; ovules obtuse.
Type. Hopp 1016 (holotype, B; photo B 1194/24), Archidona, Napo, Ecuador, Jan 1931.
Distribution. Terrestrial in field and epiphytic in forest, 130-2225 m alt, Colombia to Peru.
COLOMBIA. Narino: Uchupayaco, Rio Uchupayaco, Urcusique to Umbria, Feb 1942, Schultes 3368 (GH); Conejo, Rio San Miguel or Sucumbios, Apr 1942, Schultes 3517 (GH); Sibundoy, 29 May 1946, Schultes & Villarreal 6606A (US). Caqueta: Rio Caguan south of Cartagena, 22 Apr 1953, Romero Castaneda 4052 (COL, US). ECUADOR. Napo: Archidona, Jan 1931, Hopp 1065 (B); Mera, 17 Apr 1940, Lugo 213 (S, US); 16 Feb 1956, Asplund 19407 (S, US); 29 Mar 1956, Asplund 20019 (S); Puyo, 16 Feb 1953, Prescott 409 (NY); 9 Feb 1956, Asplund 19303 (S, US); Vera Cruz, 18 Feb 1956, Asplund 19478 (S, US). PERU. Loreto, Maynas: Santa Maria de Nanay, 29 Feb 1968, Schunke 2437 (F, US).

Streptocalyx colombianus L B Smith var. laxus E Gross, Trop. Subtrop. Pflanzenwelt 65: 72-5. 1988.
Treated as a synonym of Aechmea hoppii in DeRebusI 1994 p52 no reason given.
A typo var. colombianus differt characteribus sequentibus:
Laminae tantum usque ad 80 cm longae acuminatae. non rotundatae et pungentes. Inflorescentia cylindrica laxe bipinnata, non densissime bipinnata et ovoidea. Bracteae primariae tantum 4 cm (non 6 cm) longae, 2.5 cm latae. Bracteae florales disperse lepidotae et leviter nervatae, non dense lepidotae nervis prominulis. Sepala tantum 1 cm, non 2.5 cm longa. Ovula obtusa, non acuminata.
Holotypus: RAUH 37422 (Mai 1975), in herb inst. bot. system univ. heidelb. (HEID).
Patria et distributio: terricola in pulvisilvis apud 200 m.s.m. prope Orito, Dptm. Narino, Nova Granada (Columbia) meridionali-occidentalis

Plant stemless, flowering to 45cm high,
Leaves bent over, numerous, forming a 120cm wide to 35 cm high rosette,
Differ from the Type var. colombianus in following characteristics:
Blades only to 80 cm long, acuminate, not rounded and pungent.
Inflorescense cylindrical, laxly bipinnate, not very densely bipinnate and ovoid.
Primary bracts only 4 cm, not 6 cm, long and 2.5 cm wide.
Floral Bracts scattered lepidote and weakly nerved, not densely lepidote and prominently nerved.
Sepals only 1 cm, not 2.5 cm long.
Ovules blunt, not tipped.
Holotypus: Rauh 37422 (May 1975), in the herb. Inst. bot. system. Univ. Heidelberg (HEID).
Habitat and Range: terrestrial in the rain-forest, at 200 m, Orito, Dptm. Narino, South West Columbia.
Plant stemless, flowering to 45 cm high. Leaf bent over, in large numbers, forming a. 120 cm wide, to 35 cm high rosette; outer rosette-leaves are smaller.
Sheaths ca distinct, longish-oval, 8-10 cm long, 5 cm wide, at the base on both sides chestnut brown, densely appressed lepidote.
Blades ligulate, acuminate, to 80 cm long, 3 cm wide, underneath white lepidote, upperside almost glabrous, at the edge with small, upward pointing teeth.
Inflorescence erect, bipinnate, 40 cm long.
Scape erect, thick (1 cm in diameter), 22 cm long, pale crimson-red, scattered lepidote, densely covered by the scape bracts: the bottom ones subfoliate, the upper with crimson sheath, (only the uppermost serrate, normally smooth) and drawn together, 4-2.5 cm long, serrated blade, scattered white lepidote, all longer than the internodes.
Fertile section of the inflorescence 20 cm long, 8 cm wide.
Rhachis thick, round, pale crimson, brown floccose.
Primary bracts oval, the bottom ones with a drawn together tip, the upper ones only tipped, densely serrate, crimson, underneath very much scattered lepidote, above glabrous, shiny, ca. 4 cm long, 2.5 cm wide at the base, spreading almost horizontal and bent, all longer than the numerous, polystichous spike;
Spikes 4- to 5-flowered, broad- oval, sessile, 2 cm long, 4 cm wide;
Rhachis geniculate.
Floral Bracts imbricate, suborbicular, tipped, creased, crimson, densely serrate, underneath very scattered lepidote, ecarinate, towards the tip occasionally carinate, 2 cm wide, 1.5 cm long, weakly nerved (when fresh).
Flowers sessile, distichous, spreading, dense, (Rhachis not visible).
Sepals white, asymmetrical, spreading, 1cm long, tip spreading, serrulate at the tip, glabrous, underneath some floccose.
Petals white, ligulate, hardly opening, weakly succulent, ca. 1.6 cm long, 0.5 cm wide, at the base 2 large, fimbriate ligulae, dark brown when dry.
Ovary globose, ca. 5 mm high, white, dense white floccose, epigynous tube short;
Placenta apical; Ovules blunt.

var. colombianus
Leaf to 1.7 m long, Blade rounded off and pungent acuminate;
Inflorescence very densely bipinnate, ovoid, to 20 cm long;
floral Bracts densely lepidote, prominently nerved.
Sepals to 2.5 cm long.
Ovules tipped.
Habitat; Colombia, Amazon-region (Vaupes), 190-250 M.

var. laxus E Gross
Leaf to 80 cm long, tapering to a pungent tip;
Inflorescence loosely bipinnate, to 20 cm long;
floral bracts scattered lepidote, weakly nerved.
Sepals 1 cm long.
Ovules blunt.
Habitat: Colombia, Dptm. Narino (Orito), 200 M.,

Updated 01/04/23