This site will remain a lasting tribute to a man who dedicated his life to collecting, cultivating, studying and documenting a wide range of Brazilian bromeliads. Ivo Penna passed away in 2017, but his warm and friendly personality will remain with those lucky enough to make his acquaintance for long afterwards. I count myself as very lucky to be able to know Ivo as a very special friend.

Viv Quarry

Introduction

It is our intention on this site to present some previously published bromeliads, which we have had the opportunity to describe as new species or varieties, adding drawings, photos, cultivation observations and new geographical occurrences to the original description.


A preliminary list is being compiled with bromeliads found in Rio de Janeiro State and the Municipality of Petrópolis, especially recently described species not included in Lyman B  Smith & Robert Jack Downs' monography 'Flora Neotropica', to simplify access to this data for a greater number of people who have no means to consult a specialized bibliography.

This type of presentation was chosen to facilitate access to the information collected by the author since 1978, when an  interest in bromeliads was stimulated by the unforgettable Professor Edmundo Pereira, at the time curator of bromeliads at the Herbarium Bradeanum. He is responsible for the little knowledge we have today on the subject. At the Herbarium Bradeanum we had the opportunity to meet other young people working on bromeliads, such as José Luiz Moutinho Neto, Elton C. Leme and Gustavo Martinelli, who has contributed greatly to   the development of the study of Brazilian bromeliads.


We must also remember the collecting field work of Luiz K. Correia de Araujo, Roberto Menescal, Roberto Kautsky Orlando Graeff, Luiz Felipe N. de Carvalho, Elton Leme, Gustavo Martinelli and many others who, indefatigably, travel our country searching for new plants for scientific study.

In this project we have the collaboration of the Brazilian Bromeliad Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Bromélias), of Luiz Felipe N. de Carvalho, Orlando Graeff and his newly founded Atlantic Rainforest Interactive Center (CIMA - Centro Interativo da Mata Atlântica). 

The main reason for this site is to facilitate the interaction of people in the same field of study, increasing the exchange and update of data at low cost. A book with the same amount of data is very expensive to publish, and may become obsolete even before going on sale. With this project we wish to collaborate with young people who are beginning their work on bromeliads, with new ideas, the new technology now available, and lots of enthusiasm to go onwards with the study of the fascinating world of bromeliads.


                                                             
Ivo de Azevedo Penna, September 2001.


Special thanks to Viv Quarry for help proof reading the translation.

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