This problem has been bugging me since 2001 when Peter Huddy thought he had solved the problem of two variegated vrieseas that had been imported to Australia under parentage formula from the USA. We know that parentage formulae are often reversed and that forms of variegation do vary. In 2011 Vriesea 'Shiraz' was registered

Vriesea 'Shiraz'

Hybridist unknown, named by Peter Huddy, SA, Australia. Named in 1995

(platynema x saundersii) Plant 60cm diam, flowering to 90cm high. Has never shown signs of variegation in 20 years cultivation in SA. Although this has the reverse parentage to that reported for the variegated 'RoRo' there appears to be great similarity and thus similar origins.

Reg Doc by M. Butcher 11/2011

The only way to answer this problem was to try to find someone in the USA who was still growing plants called V. bituminosa x saundersii (variegated) and this was Michael Kiehl of Michael's Bromeliads in Florida. Michael promised to send me a photo of the plant in flower and did so in March this year.

We now have photos of all plants involved in this saga. They have a red floral bract, yellowish sepals and light green petals. All have discolor leaves.

The problem seems to be on what was considered to be V. bituminosa when the hybrid was done many years ago. If we look at Flora Neotropica by Smith & Downs 1977 we will see that even the botanists had problems with identity involving V. platynema whereas, these days, most of us know how to identify V. bituminosa with its brownish petals (see Foster's painting of his V. bituminosa for another problem regarding colour).

The most likely scenario is that first we had platynema x saundersii (now called 'Shiraz') which sported variegation but some had different variegation and some bright individual felt one had 'bituminosa' in it not 'platynema'--and even reversed the parentage.

We should continue to use the names 'Shiraz', 'Highway Beauty', 'Highway' (non-variegated 'Highway Beauty') and 'RoRo' because so many are growing plants under these names (as well as saundersii x platynema AND platynema x saundersii plus or minus the notation 'variegated AND bituminosa!), but remember we are dealing in all probability with the same hybrid. In our experience the plant in Adelaide called 'RoRo' has a more stable...