In the 1998 Bromeliad Cultivar Register we will see Neoregelia 'Rosea Striata' as follows
Neoregelia 'Rosea Striata' Seidel (named by DeLeon) ...............<1975
Name chosen to be used for 'Rosea Lineata', 'Rubra Lineatum' etc. Luther says, "Commonly grown as Neoregelia carolinae v. roseostriata. This cultivar bears little resemblance to carolinae even out of flower, but the original, incorrect epithet has persisted for at least 15-18 years unquestioned - the plant is actually Neoregelia farinosa (Ule)".
JBS 35:34, 38:209, BP-1980, NJB1976, BirdRock1995
Here we had an outstanding cultivar that differed from the species but was never given a proper cultivar name - just a nurseryman's one suitable for his catalogue only. It is no doubt that the variations of the name occurred as each nurseryman tried to show his plants were different. When Don Beadle 'grandfathered' in this name to the Register he failed to realise that Harry Luther only deals with wild collected material and ignores plants of man-made hybrid origin. There were 'carolinae' or hybrids of it around that also had red lines but this anomaly went un-noticed in Florida.
In Australia in the 1970's we were aware of 'carolinae' with red lines because 'Burbank' came into being. So when 'Rosea Striata' hit our shores as imports some of us recognised it as a form of 'Neoregelia farinosa'.
Back to the request from Jason who was wondering what all my fuss was all about. When I got a photo from Jason of his original 'Roseo-Lineata' with red lines, I was able to refer it to Harry Luther. An emphatic 'NO' to it being a form of 'N. farinosa' was enough for me.
Let us now look at 'Radial Reds Revisited' by Geoff Lawn in J. Brom. Soc. 56(3): 123-127. 2006 where Geoff mentioned my concern about misidentification and showed my photo of an unregistered Neoregelia 'Red Lines'. This is now a registered name to cover those neoregelias with red lines that have no pedigree. This steers us away from the chaos of the latinised unofficial namings. I would prefer this name to be used unless you know your plant is a N. farinosa but I am aware it will take many years to work out of the system. One quick check is to remember that N. farinosa is known for the dusting on the leaves especially underneath. So if your plant has shiny leaves alarm bells should ring.
Back to 'Green Cherry' which I thought a strange name because most cherries in Australia are a cerise colour but Jason assures me that you have wild cherries in America and the shinyness of his sport reminded him of them.
Photo of 'Green Cherry' is attached and a photo of 'Roseo-Lineata' that I would prefer to be called 'Red Lines'. Photos of Neoregelia farinosa and its faint lined form 'Rosea Striata'are also enclosed for comparison
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