Southern Crinum Lily

Title

Southern Crinum Lily

Artist

Dale Powell

Medium

Photograph

Description

Crinum lilies (Crinum spp.) are large, heat and moisture loving plants, producing an abundant array of showy flowers in summer. Grown in gardens of southern plantations; many still exist in those areas, overtaken by swamps and bogs. The crinum plant is often referred to as the southern swamp lily, spider lily or as a cemetery plant, indicating it was often used to adorn graveyards of centuries past.

Regaining popularity in the landscape, crinum is usually started from large bulbs, although growing plants can be found in nurseries as well. The crinum plant can also be grown from the large seeds it produces or by offsets called pups.

The crinum plant reaches 3 to 5 feet at maturity and the same around. Foliage is spirally arranged, coarse and open. It is often used for a short, growing hedge where blooms and fragrance can be enjoyed. Locate crinum lilies in groups, spacing plants 4 to 6 feet apart. The coarse, draping foliage may appear unkempt, at which time the crinum plant can be trimmed, removing bottom leaves for a tidier appearance.

Crinum is a genus of about 180 species of perennial plants that have large showy flowers on leafless stems, and develop from bulbs. They are found in seasonally moist areas, including marshes, swamps, depressions and along the sides of streams and lakes in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide.

Crinum leaves are basal, typically long and strap-shaped, with colors ranging from light green to green.

Several species are used in aquariums.

Cytological studies have shown some 27 species of Crinum to be diploid with a normal chromosome count of 2n = 22. Abilio Fernandes found that the Orange River Crinum bulbispermum had a count of 2n = 66, and some desert Crinum macowanii 2n = 44. These polyploid species produce seeds that are often parthenogenetic triploid or diploids, lack vigour and seldom grow to mature plants.

In Hawaiʻi Crinum augustum (or Crinum amabile var augustum) is known as the Queen Emma Lily.

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May 25th, 2016

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