x Neobergia Noddy Click thumbnails for full size, scaled to a new window.
x Neobergia Noddy BCR ... "Small glossy green tube w/short curved red inflorescence and some central red leaves at blooming."
Bigeneric. Billbergia nutans x Neoregelia carolinae by Bill Morris, Sydney, 1960's.
Ian Hook 02/23 ex. Kerry McNicol
x Neobergia 'Noddy' by D Butcher in Bromeletter 33(1): 9. 1995
Now to another bigeneric with Billbergia nutans as the seed parent and Neoregelia carolinae providing the pollen. Here again Mulford Foster was unconvinced but whether he received specimen details or was bypassed in favour of Lyman Smith, the archival records do not divulge. I do know that in November 1961, Lyman Smith believed that a bigeneric happening between Billbergia and Neoregelia had occurred but I cannot find the letter Lyman Smith sent to Bill Morris. This has probably been filed in a special safe place (not in the shed) never to be found again!
No reference appears in Flora Neotropica, Bromelioideae by Smith & Downs which is a pity but you cannot win them all.
After all it is in my checklist under x Neobergia 'Noddy'. If you have 'Noddy' then you will know it is like a robust Billbergia nutans which goes red in the centre when ready to flower and produces a somewhat shortened, non-hanging, inflorescence. In fact, quite a talking point. If you haven't got 'Noddy' then shame on you.
