Bromeliads – the Connoisseur’s Guide

by Andrew Steens

The name of this book says it all. It is a guide for those totally besotted with this marvellous family of plants, as the author himself quite clearly is. His passion and excitement is evident in his assertation that "bromeliads are at the peak of evolution". I’m not sure that one can judge when evolution has peaked, but certainly the readiness of many of these species to hybridise makes them incredibly interesting to plant fanciers.

The book begins with a comprehensive coverage of the various natural habitats in South America where these plants occur and sadly, increasingly struggle to survive against human intrusion. His descriptions make one want to dash out and purchase a tour to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve or other fascinating destination. Fortunately, a realisation by governments in some of these countries that this type of eco-tourism may well be the saviour of these forests and return more to the economies than clearing, is a welcome development.

The book goes on to discuss developing a collection and provides a fascinating insight into hybridisation and its challenges.

The main body of the book is entitled "A Collection of Rare and Exotic Bromeliads" and is guaranteed to make any bromeliad connoisseur sigh and salivate. The plants are not rigidly organised according to species as the author is particularly interested in showing the parentage of the plants illustrated. The illustrations are simply wonderful. The spectacular colour plates make identification easy and coveteousness unavoidable.

The final chapter is on "Growing Great Bromeliads". The idea of the information here is not just how to grow them, but how to grow them perfectly. Even the humblest bromeliad grower can aspire to this.

The writer protests that his addiction to bromeliad collecting is a curse – "Bromeliophiles will endure any conditions for the chance to see lovely plants .... welcome to my nightmare." He doth protest too much, methinks!

Bromeliads – the Connoisseur’s Guide by Andrew Steens is published in Australia by Florilegium