Worsleya

Worsleya rayneri
Worsleya illustration
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Amaryllidaceae
Genus:	Worsleya
Species:	W. rayneri
Binomial name
Worsleya rayneri
Synonyms
Worsleya procera

The genus Worsleya contains only one species - Worsleya rayneri. It's one of the largest (around 1.5 meters high) and rarest members in the Amaryllidaceae family. Worsleya is a tropical plant. This species is also known as Worsleya procera or The Empress of Brazil because its origin is in South America, Brazil.

It grows in very extreme and moist environments. Near waterfalls on soil which is rich of granite (that's why sometimes it's considered as lithophyte) and sunny places. However, it's very hard for cultivation. It has a plenty of needs, although it may surprises sometimes with great hardiness. It has many ornamental traits.

The plant has a large bulb which produces high stem with green bent down leaves. The Worsleya has really beautiful and spectacular blooms. They are large, lilac to blue colored with small freckles on them. The seeds which the plant produces are black and semicircular. The enthusiasts know that they has to be sowed in pumice or sometimes in Sphagnum but in the second case the threat of decaying is bigger.