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Plant Highlight: Dyckia hebdingii
By Brian Kemble
About the genus
Dyckia is a South American genus in the Bromeliaceae, or Bromeliad Family, with most of the species having rosettes of stiff sword-like leaves with toothy edges. While many members of the family are epiphytic, growing on the branches or trunks of trees (or sometimes on fences, roofs, telephone wires, etc.), Dyckia species grow in a more conventional manner, with their roots in the ground. As of 2023, there were 179 recognized species in the genus, some of them being well-represented in horticulture, and others little known. One of those not often encountered is Dyckia hebdingii, native to the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brasil.
Area of occurrence
The genus Dyckia occurs in South America east of the Andes, from Brasil in the north down through Paraguay and Uruguay to northern Argentina. Dyckia hebdingii is native to Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state in Brasil. It comes from the east-central part of the state, near Porto Alegre, the capital.
About the plant
D. hebdingii forms tight clusters of compact rosettes of sword-like succulent leaves. On average, the leaves are about 6 inches long (15 cm) and .6 inch wide (1.5 cm). Our plant at the Ruth Bancroft Garden differs somewhat in being more compact, with leaves to 4.3 inches long (11 cm) and .7 inch wide at the base (1.7 cm), the whole rosette being up to 9½ inches in diameter (24 cm). The leaves radiate from the central growing point, arching slightly. The leaf edges have many slender teeth jutting out at right angles to the margin. Both the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf are coated with pale scales that resemble flecks of ash, and these jut out rather than lying flat against the surface, giving the leaves a pale gray fuzzy look. Beneath the scales, the leaves are dark green in color, sometimes with a purple tinge.
About the flowers and fruits
Dyckia hebdingii is summer-flowering, generally blooming at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in July and early August. It belongs to a group of species with relatively tall wiry multi-branched inflorescences, and its flower stalk usually reaches a height of well over a meter. The lower part of the inflorescence (the peduncle) is round in cross-section and up to .4 inch (1 cm) in diameter, with reddish narrow-triangular bracts with toothed margins. The bracts are larger (about 1.6 inches, or 4 cm) and more closely spaced at the bottom, becoming smaller and more widely separated going upward. The upper part of the inflorescence has many slender branches extending out from the axis, each bearing many small yellow flowers. Both the main axis and the side branches are generally ascending, but they tend to wander to the side to some degree rather than being erect. The number of floral branches is variable, with smaller plants and younger rosettes having fewer, while robust forms may have over a dozen (as well as longer leaves and larger rosettes). Though not far apart, the flowers are not bunched together along the branches, and they are angled forward rather than perpendicular to the branches that hold them. The longer branches are about a foot long (30 cm) and hold dozens of flowers. Each floral branch is subtended by a narrow bract, resembling the bracts seen on the peduncle below, and each flower has a smaller bract at its base that tapers to a thread-like tip. The 3 sepals at the base of the flower are oval with pointed tips, and they are about .18 inch long (4.5 mm). They are green, often with a purplish-red tinge, and they have a fuzzy coating of whitish scales. The sepals tightly clasp the 3 yellow petals, which are about .28 inch long (7 mm) and wrapped together in a tube, sometimes a little bit pinched at the mouth, within which the yellow-orange pollen of the anthers is visible. The fuzzy scales (seen on the floral branches, on the floral bracts, and on the sepals) extend also onto the outsides of the petals, though they diminish going upward. The central stigma has 3 lobes, and if successfully pollinated the flower will produce a cluster of 3 stiff carpels about .32-inch long (8 mm), with sharp beak-like tips. When the seeds are ripe, each carpel splits lengthwise to release the stacks of small brown seeds. Each seed has an oval kernel, but is elongated by tapering papery wings at either end.
