Plant obtained in September 1999 growing in the fork of a crepe myrtle tree at a vacated house in Whalan NSW, a suburb of Blacktown City, west of Sydney.
It was well established and looked like a silver leaved T. bergeri and when it flowered 12 years later it was a T. bergeri!
The plant is very heavily trichomed and takes on a silvery purple hue in strong sunlight and seems even more vegetatively prolific than T. bergeri. Unlike the ‘normal’ T. bergeri which flowers reliably every year due to frosty winters, this plant had to be forced into flower with a ripe apple in a plastic bag for 2 weeks in Oct. 2011. The plant does elongate but generally stays at about 10-12 cm diam. and can grow to a length of 30 cm. and over a number of years to nearly 1 mtr.
We will never find out its true origins and if it were a hybrid what would be the other parent? In all other respects it agrees with the description of a somewhat variable species.
Others may well have obtained this particular form of T. bergeri from other sources but it is so distinct I suggest you call it ‘Silver Berger’. Reg Doc 1/2012
P.S. from Debbie Martin. “I think this name is doubly appropriate as it will always remind us of our recently passed President at the NSW Brom Soc. Michael Burger who was tireless in his dedication to promoting bromeliads and who was a shining light in many ways.”