I am seeking volunteers preferably with access to a computer and the Internet to assist with the Bromeliad Cultivar Registry. In time I hope that all major Affiliate Societies will have a BCR Liaison Officer. It is not an onerous task because all it involves is encouraging local hybridists to name and identify their progeny when the plants enter the "Public Domain". They should also be on the look out for past misinterpretations of the rules and if a plant is worthy to go on the Show bench it is worthy of mention in the BCR.

The BSI Journal sets a high standard for accuracy of information as do other publications of a scientific nature. Popular Bromeliad books vary from very good to bad in their interpretation of what is accurate. I believe that all growers of Bromeliads should strive for high ideals in naming accuracy rather than accept and condone mediocrity.

Using the Internet we can use colour photographs as an identification aid and there is no better example than in http://fcbs.org. Here I check every photo that Michael Andreas posts, with available records, be they botanical descriptions, information in the BCR, or other writings (Note: hearsay is ignored!). I try not to rely on my memory which I can assure you is as faulty as the next man! Michael also checks up on me AND we also get comments from around the World which is acted upon. So it is a vibrant record that can be safely used as an identification aid.

You will already have the printed edition of the BCR (1998), I hope! You may already have a printed update list 1998 - 2000 courtesy of Gene Schmidt. You can now refer to the BCR updates via the updated super duper BSI website to show you where all the changes have been made. Eventually these on-line updates will be in line with my records so you will be as up to date as the Registrar! This is something that has never happened in the history of the BSI.

As a keen pseudo-botanist I have always taken an interest in identification and knew there was a higher rate of naming and listing of Cultivars in Australia than in the USA. The BCR and the updates 1998-2000 clearly show this and I hope with your help to reverse this trend.

The San Francisco Conference 2000 was the first that was extensively photographed AND the photos made available for all the World to see (Refer http//fcbs.org). On the one hand it showed what plants we can grow and at what quality but it also showed our laziness as far as identification goes. There were just so many plants not in the BCR that many would consider it a worrying situation. I believe them to be opportunities.

I am looking forward to the Tampa Conference in 2002 for even more opportunities if I can convince Michael to repeat his photographic marathon.

In the meantime, it is up to us all to reverse this trend of apathy and closely look at Show benches of our local shows and try to pick the odd men out and get them named and/or recorded.

Finally, before we blame all our problems on hybridists, let us remember that all of us who grow from seed are potential hybridists too. Bromeliads are very promiscuous and willingly accept pollen from any source. Do you interpret your results? Do you check to see that the progeny on flowering are similar to the name on the packet - seed parent - mother? If they are different then there are at least two questions to ask! (1) Who was father? (2) Was mother a hybrid? You have the potential of a new cultivar right in front of you and all you did was sow the seed! You are now in loco parentis and have parental responsibilities. You must decide if the plant/s are outstanding or mediocre. If mediocre they should be PUTINABIN. If outstanding and you are prepared to enter them into the local competitions then they need their own name.

I am as near as your computer. Just send me a message. Even if your own Society decides to make a BCR Liaison Officer a permanent position don't let it stop you thinking as an individual on the same lines.

Derek Butcher - BSI Cultivar Registrar Fulham, South Australia tillands@senet.com.au