Dale Dixon 10/20

Dale Dixon 10/20

Bruce Dunstan 10/20

Dale Dixon ... "I particularly like this clone with the silver scales along the floral bract margin. The flowers are nice too."
Geoff Lawn ... "Hi Dale, I'm just querying this cultivar name Deep Purple because the registered clone from Franz Gruber does not have your specimen's dark magenta, trichome-laden bracts and white flower "eye" with deep purple petal edges.
Did yours come via Peter Tristram named as such ?
It seems to me yours is so distinct it needs its own cultivar name. I have not seen this T. straminea form posted online before--how long have you had it ?"
Peter Tristram ... "I cannot pass on this one. Franz has grown batches of seed, it appears, all with the deep purple bracts and very similar overall shape of plant and inflorescence. He doesn’t remember the provenance though. There are naturally variations, some of which became evident as our imported plants began to bloom here. I have heard that seed from some of them is being grown here too. Franz also had thousands of seedlings in 2016 when I last visited Colombia and have shown a photo of a mass flowering of these in presentations and on social media. I assumed the plant was grex named. No matter which clone it’s a stunning plant."
Bruce Dunstan ... "I think I have bought 3 or more plants from Peter starting in late 2016. Here are some images of stuff flowering or in bud at the moment. I counted 10 spikes this arvo."
Dale Dixon ... "Hi Bruce, The last one looks like the one I have that Geoff says is different to Deep Purple. I have three plants, two of which match Deep Purple on the BCR."
Pam Butler ... "The last one looks quite different. Mine look like the other ones."
Peter Tristram ... "Simply put, I am against this new name for no other reason than the intended grex name Deep Purple isn’t mentioned, but you can do as you like as long as Geoff approves.
To my knowledge all of these beauties were sourced by Chris and me from Gruber whilst in Colombia."
Chris Larson ... "As Peter says, there was minor differences in amongst the plants we brought in. How many were like this I don't know. There is a possibility that there are others out there the same being called T. Deep Purple - after all, I think both Peter and I multiplied them first before parting with them - so there is likely to be more being spread around under the grex name.
I'd be much happier following the vastly superior method that orchid collectors have - and name it something like T. Deep Purple Gorgeous or T. Deep Purple Wow. This would tie it back with a link, while separating it out distinctly as Dale wants. Just a suggestion."
Derek Butcher ... "As far as I recall in 1998 when Don Beadle published the Bromeliad Cultivar Register we had started to move away from grex to cultivar by use of selection for cultivar. A photograph is s form of selection and can be compared with the herbarium specimen of the Taxonomist. Brothers and sisters from that same seed batch can still be selected and given their own cultivar name. Geoff often puts in this link in the BCR entry."
Geoff Lawn ... "We've had this theme conversation before. As the BSI's Cultivar Registrar I'm obliged under ICN & ICNCP Rules to register cultivar names only --it's been in the BCR since 1995, not the BGR. Where a grex sibling is known to be linked to another registered cultivar, I put cross-references in both (or all) BCR entries of grex siblings.
Peter said below "To my knowledge all of these beauties were sourced by Chris and me from Gruber whilst in Colombia".
To record provenance, which year were they imported into Australia ? How does one separate them from local clones of T. straminea already in Australia ?
As Franz Gruber bred these types circa 2000, would it be accurate to say you cannot guarantee the imported stock were definitely all from one grex only ? Would it be more likely umpteen years later that they are simply a progeny selection from multiple matings and thus from multiple grexes ?"
Peter Tristram ... "Imported in 2014 and so striking I contacted Franz and suggested the name 'Deep Purple'. How many clones there are I don’t know but the variations are pretty superficial. All are similar in foliage and all have deep purple bracts under strong light. Chris and I grow them under plastic so our bract colour isn’t always as intense as Dale’s or Bruce’s, though still purple. They cannot be compared to the typical straminea bract colours. This is one very variable species group too.
You’re probably correct with your last comment, Geoff."

Rob Bower 08/21

Rob Bower ... "I've seen a few pics of this going round - unsurprising as its so spectacular. I'm wondering where the cv was selected and named. Any story there Bruce?"
Bruce Dunstan ... "I believe they were a group of purple clones from Gruber in Colombia that Peter and Chris brought back. I got a couple of plants from Peter in 2015. I think Dale may have registered one particular clone but I can’t recall the name."
Next in the straminea group to flower for me will be the white clone. Common or pink clones are just showing bud formation for me and will flower closer to November from memory. One day I’d like to grow them for cut flowers like the Grubers in Colombia."
Chris Larson ... "That's a good summary Bruce.
I think that there is one left of the red form of Pam K's at Peter's. A similarly spectacular plant. One we imported many times, and it died in quarantine - except one - & I forget how many times we imported it."
Geoff Lawn ... "Dale named and registered T. 'Wow Gorgeous', at: http://registry.bsi.org/index.php?fields=Breeder&id=16456&search=dixon
Pedro named and registered T. 'Deep Purple' in 2017, at: http://registry.bsi.org/index.php?fields=Name&id=13927&search=Deep%20Purple"