Aechmea 'Reginald'
A grey -green open rosette up to 50cms. diameter and as tall, sometimes heavily scurfed on upper and lower surfaces; almost spineless soft pliant arching leaves with central cream stripes or striations (medio-picta form), the reverse is maroon red. Summer-blooming, the erect compoundly-branched inflorescence is a red-stemmed panicle of globose (rounded) coral red berries and cornflower blue petals. Cold-sensitive, it has been grown incorrectly for years as "Ae. fulgens var. discolor variegata", for this species' inflorescence is branched at the base only and has ellipsoid-shaped berries. Luther (1992) stated that ALL the variegated cultivars grown as Ae. fulgens appear to be hybrids. Ae. 'Reginald', developed before 1980 by Deroose & Waterschoot, was named by Albert Deroose for his son Reginald Deroose and finally registered in 2003. It is actually a sport off Ae. 'Maginali' (Ae. fulgens var. discolor x miniata var. discolor), the latter bred by Florida grower Julian Nally in 1954.
Aechmea 'Reginaldo'
A largish, mid-green upright rosette up to 80 cms. wide by 80cms. tall with broad cream-margined, stiff finely-spined leaves. Depending on culture/climate, some scurf and faint silvery crossbanding on the reverse are visible. The mealy-stemmed, upright, extended candelabra-like spike has amaranth scape bracts and ovaries with blue petals. It arose probably by tissue culture as a variegated sport from Ae. 'Romero' before 2001 by Reginald Deroose of Deroose Nursery, Belgium, but was not commercially released. Reginald says the sheer volume of commercially propagated Ae. 'Romero' produced occasional variegates (pers. comm. Aug. 2006). Ae. 'Romero' (Ae. fendleri x 'Perumazon') was bred before 1979 by Francis Buysse at the State Research Station of Ornamental Plant Growing at Melle (near Ghent), Belgium. Ae. 'Reginaldo' is cold -sensitive also because it's parent Ae. 'Perumazon' is a wild-collected, non-branching form of Ae. chantinii forma amazonica. The cultivar namer and identity namesake behind Ae. 'Reginaldo' remain a mystery despite my enquiries with several big commercial growers involved.
So remember to add that extra little "o" ending to your label if appropriate for these two attractive cultivars with long-lasting inflorescences.
References
BSI Cultivar Registry Online 2006: http://bsi.org/
Butcher, D. 2004. BSI Journal. 54:1:27. Cultivar Corner--Aechmea 'Reginald'.
Luther, H. 1992. BSI Journal 50:1: 8. Misnamed Bromeliads, no.10. Aechmea fulgens and Ae. miniata.
Samyn G. & F. Thomas.1997. BSI Journal 47:3:120. Thirty Years of Bromeliad Breeding at the Research Station of Ornamental Plant Growing at Melle, Belgium.
"