Worslea

 

Amaryllis family. Homeland - Brazil. Worsleya procera is a very popular (due to rare flowers) and at the same time very rare species.

Синонимы: Amaryllis procera (Duch.), Amaryllis rayneri (Hook.f.), Worsleya rayneri ((Hook.f.) Traub & Moldenke), Worsleya procera ((Lem.) Traub).

The species was classified in 1863.

Habitat: Brazil. It grows on cliffs, near waterfalls.

Description: The legendary "Blue Amaryllis" - Worsleya procera, the obsolete name of Hippeastrum procerum, is named after the English botanist Arthington Worsley. This species is quite rare, endangered. It is a large, evergreen, bulbous plant. The flowers are lilac blue in the center, with blue spots. Up to 15 flowers are formed on the peduncle. Perianth petals are not very wide, pointed, with a corrugated edge, slightly bent. Bulbs are quite large up to 15 cm in diameter, pear-shaped, with thin upper scales, with a false stem. The length of the false stem in an adult plant can reach up to 60 cm in height. The leaves are evergreen, sickle-shaped, about 10 cm wide, up to 90 cm long. Flowering is usually in summer, but in the tropics this species can bloom at any time of the year. The plant is photophilous.

Caring for Worsley

Habitat: Grows in the mountains, on granite rocks. This plant is completely in harmony with the elements. It grows under the sun, blown by the winds and not protected from precipitation - fog and rain. These places are characterized by strong daily temperature fluctuations.

If you happened to get this beauty home, the temperature in the summer would be 20-25 ° C, but not higher than 30 ° C. The villi does not have a pronounced period of rest, it does not lose leaves, but in winter, with a decrease in illumination, a decrease in temperature to 18 ° C is required.

Lighting: Full solar lighting. Shading may be needed for two weeks after transplantation, and in the summer at noon.

Watering: Every day with very soft water, all water through large fractions of the substrate flows into the tray, from where it must be immediately drained. And once a week, water by immersion in a container with water, in which fertilizer is added. Allow to stand for 20 minutes and then allow all the water to drain.

Fertilizer: Suitable fertilizers specifically designed for hydroponic plants. The NPK (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) ratio of about 15-5-30 is considered good.

Humidity: Keep air humidity below 40%. You can spray the villi with soft water from a fine spray bottle.

Soil: Sandy-rocky, and the USA, where this plant is very valuable, often use lava or pumice in the preparation of the substrate. Bark or coconut fiber may also be used. The substrate reaction should be slightly acidic. The pot is small, 12-15 cm in diameter.

Reproduction: Seeds that are obtained by self-pollination and daughter bulbs.

By the way

If you think about it, the villus growing in nature will be considered a very unpretentious plant. Of course, she is not afraid of sunburn, wind, rain - too.

But if you consider the villus as a greenhouse plant, it turns out that it is very whimsical. As a houseplant, it is generally difficult to imagine the villus - the span of the leaves reaches more than 1 m in diameter.

It is difficult for her to find a substrate. It should be both nutritious and very loose, or rather, it should have large air spaces. Ideally, it should include a small fraction of lava, which is difficult to get.

Flower growers (in the USA) with experience in growing villi recommend, in the absence of volcanic rocks, planting it in a special substrate for hydroponics. But they never plant these plants in ordinary garden land or mixtures for indoor flowers!

Seed pile

The seeds of the villi are large, black, quickly lose germination, and germinate for a rather long time - 9-10 weeks. Seeds are sown without soaking, in wide plates on a mixture of gravel, sand, coconut fiber, put in a bright place at a temperature of 18-20 ° C.

It is very important that the seeds are moist, but in a loose substrate they dry out quickly. Therefore, they are not watered, but abundantly sprayed several times a day.

It is advisable to cover the plate with seeds with a bag or glass, to maintain high humidity, ventilate for 20 minutes 2-3 times a day.

As soon as the seeds germinate, slowly accustom to ordinary humidity - gradually (for an hour, two, three) remove the glass or film.