xGuzvriesea Jeannie / Marian Oppenheimer
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xGuzvriesea Jeannie
Intergeneric of Guzmania lingulata x Vriesea Rex, by R.Davis.
The BSI cultivar register describes Jeannie as "G. Johnson said, 'Small purple upright rosette w/conical yellow inflorescence'."
The spelling of xGuzvriesea Jeannie was once "Jeannieae" in the BSI's first edition (1979) of the International Checklist of Bromeliad Hybrids. It seems that someone decided to make it a less "Latinised" spelling later on, although it was listed as "Jeannieae" even in the BSI Journal March-April, 1983 issue, page 73.
BSA's 1st ed. of "Growing Bromeliads"(1988) has no photo, but a listing on page 106 of xGuzvriesea 'Jeannieae'(sic) = Guzmania lingulata x Vriesea Rex.

Jeannie seems to have now "dissapeared" in US and does not exist in Australia, if it ever did.
Australian plants with this name are invariably xGuzvriesea Marian Oppenheimer.

The BSI cultivar registry is soon to be ammended to read: "Jeannie - Plant small upright rosette with purplish leaves, reddish conical inflorescence with yellow flowers."

True xGuzvriesea Jeannie. Photo by Herbert Plever, 1978 USA. Plant source unknown.

xGuzvriesea Marian Oppenheimer
The following photos are of plants widely distributed in Australia via. eBay and others, and all possibly originating from Pine Grove Nursery.
In collections under various spellings of Jeanneii, Jeanaie, etc.

These plants should be re-labelled as xGuzvriesea Marian Oppenheimer, with parentage of Vriesea 'Viminalis-Rex' x Guzmania lingulata v. minor, by Deroose-Waterschoot.
BSI registration description: "Herb Hill Jr.* - Mature plant 3-4 dm tall and 5-6 dm across w/30+ leaves - pine green leaves - scape bracts green - inflorescence compound subglobose w/short lateral spikes in cherry to wine-red - yellow flowers which rarely mature - color lasts many months - Tropiflora said, 'A tight cluster of vibrant red round branches forming a long lasting torch-like inflorescence'."
Sharon Song, Sydney 03/08. Bought as "Jeanneii". Photo Ian Hook.
Richard Harper 03/08. Bought as "Jeanie".
eBay photo by Kerry Tate, as "Jeannieae".
Marian Oppenheimer photo by Derek Butcher, from fcbs.
Herb Plever taken at WBC 1982 and 1990.
Sharon Song, 07/10 at Pinegrove, as 'Marion Oppenheimer'.
Note from Herb Plever to Derek Butcher. April 2008.
"Hi Derek:
I have lots of photos of X Guzvriesea 'Marian Oppenheimer' taken at various times and places; the attached photos are all of Herb Hill's plants. The full plant was shot at the Corpus Christi WBC in 1982, the closeup of the inflorescence was taken at Herb's exhibit at the Houston WBC in 1990. The other closeup of the inflorescence of 'Marian Oppenheimer' was taken in Herb's greenhouse in Feb. 1991. It has more elongated spikes than the first inflorescence.
As for X Guzvriesea 'Jeannie', the only photo I have of that plant was taken in March, 1978, but I regret that I have neither memory nor notes of where it was taken or whose plant it was. The attached photo shows a very different plant than 'Marian Oppenheimer'.
'Jeannie' and 'Marian Oppenheimer' do NOT have the same parents. Beadle lists the parentage of 'Jeannie' as G. lingulata x V. 'Rex'. Herb Hill gave me the parentage of 'Marian Oppenheimer' as V. 'Viminalis Rex' x G. lingulata var. minor (in that order, from which I always supposed that 'Viminalis Rex was the seed parent).
V. 'Rex' is very different from V. 'Viminalis Rex'. Beadle lists 'Rex's parents, but says the parents of 'Viminalis Rex' are unknown. In any event Beadle's description of the two plants leaves no doubt they are not the same plants. Therefore, the Vriesea parents of 'Jeannie' and 'Marian Oppenheimer' are different. If Beadle was right about 'Jeannie's' parentage, his listing implies G. lingulata was the seed parent - AND, who knows what lingulata was used.
If the label on the plant I shot as 'Jeannie' was correct, 'Jeannie' and 'Marian Oppenheimer' are certainly not the same plant as your correspondents claim. But where did those purple leaves on 'Jeannie' come from? None of the Vriesea cultivars or V. barilettii (the purported Vriesea parents) have red leaves. Could it be the influence of a Guzmania lingulata like var. splendens (peacockii)? Or maybe the Guzmania parent was a different species altogether.
I'm looking forward to seeing your new analysis. In the states this question is academic because X Guzvriesea 'Jeannie' is not available from our last commercial nursery - Michael's Bromeliads. Michael still does stock 'Marian Oppenheimer'. I haven't seen 'Jeannie' at any show for years.
Herb."


Updated 18/08/10