James Lester 12/21

Geoff Lawn ... "Does this T. ionantha form have a cultivar name ?"
James Lester ... "No Geoff I call it wild thing, it should have a name it is very different."
Geoff Lawn ... "Do you know who bred it or where it came from ? Does it do this contorted growth every time or only occasionally ? How long have you grown it ?"
James Lester ... "It came from Chris Larson at Collectors Corner, just a strange import. I've been growing it for ten years and they are all the same they are slow but I have several clumps."
Chris Larson ... "That sounds like a good name James, T. ionantha Wild Thing. Ex Rainforest Flora in 2006 - found amongst T. ionantha 'Mexico' seedlings.
James can tell you the the dimensions. I have a small number of these - enough to justify registration."

Chris Larson 01/22 "Select seedling from an RFI batch"

James Lester 01/22

James Lester 01/22

James Lester 01/22

Chris Larson 01/22. The true 'Huamelula'. See notes below.

Ray Clark ... "This new one ('Wild Thing') reminds me of ionantha Huamelula particularly in the growth habit."
Chris Larson ... "Ray Clark: T. ionantha Huamelula is now T. ionantha var maxima. Many plants in Australia are misnamed.
Some of the plants supplied by my boss were sold under the name T. ionantha Huamilula or some other spelling. That is the plant that we now sell in plastic packs as T. ionantha Mexico. It is a furry one."
Ray Clark ... "Chris, interestingly, mine came from Derek Butcher who got it from Peter Tristram. My spelling is as per label and clearly not spell checked!"
Chris Larson ... "ionantha var maxima (T. Huamelula) should look like the images above.
This is the form from Huamelula. I remember Wayne Schuster saying that Huamelula was the most mis-spelt name in bromeliads.
These photos are courtesy of Derek's disc. We need to update Bromeliads in Australia - they don't have a photo.
Note the true plant from Huamelula does not have pronounced trichomes."
James Lester ... "To help clear up any confusion, this ionantha is very different, I have some that are 120mm long and 60mm wide. They are succulent and very heavy and they all have this distinctive shape. I have many thousands of ionantha on a wall and when people see it they point to 'Wild Thing' and ask what is that.