Crinum asiaticum, Spider lily
/By Summer Pritchett
Beautiful Crinum asiaticum inflorescence
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Crinum asiaticum, which also goes by spider lily, grand crinum lily, poison bulb, and giant crinum lily, is a beautiful plant whose striking features have stood out to humans for many years. Being native to tropical Asia, this plant was brought to North America and became popular in the tropical areas in the United States. In fact, it has even escaped civilization and is growing wild in states such as Louisiana, Florida, and California. Crinum asiaticum can grow quite tall, so tall that in Hawaii that the crinum plants can develop into small tree-like umbrellas! They can reach up to 8 feet tall, the beautiful flowers and foliage becoming very large and thick. This plant’s significant foliage and flowers are gorgeous, and the smell can be carried into one’s nose from a few feet away. These plants are used in all different kinds of landscapes and add a pop of color and greenery.
Crinum asiaticum is in the Amaryllidaceae family, which contains 73 genera and more than 1,600 species, most of which are in tropical areas of the world. Crinum asiaticum is native to Tropical Asia, although it has been introduced successfully in other parts of the world, such as the United States (especially East Texas!) This plant is a perennial and a bulb. The spider lily has evergreen leaves, which help keep the landscape looking full and beautiful even when this plant is not in bloom. This plant is also drought-tolerant and prefers sandy soil since it prefers drier soils. This plant can spread 4 to 6 feet, and usually grows 4 to 6 feet in height (excluding special cases, such as Hawaii).
Spider lily overall habit and size
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The spider lily has notable leaves; they are very broad, dark green, and straplike, complementing the beautiful flowers that accompany them. The type is simple, while the leaf arrangement is spiral. The leaf shape is linear, and the venation is parallel. The flowers are tubular corollas that are long and six-petaled, and bloom from summer to fall. The flowers are usually white, and can often have tinted areas or stripes, which are purple and red. In addition, they are wonderfully fragrant. There are many cultivars that will have variegated foliage or different colored flowers, as some of the plants can have purple-tinted flowers or even purple foliage.
Crinum asiaticum leaf size and color
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Crinum asiaticum grows best in hardiness zones 9–11. These plants are useful horticulturally for a multitude of reasons. One being it is simple and quick to propagate these plants as one can simply divide the bulb by gently tearing the nooks of each corm apart. In addition, these plants add beautiful foliage and greenery to a landscape when not in season, and beautiful flowers and fragrance when in season. Therefore, this plant is a good option for a horticulturist when picking plants to incorporate into a landscape. These plants would work well near ponds, in borders, near the foundation of the house, and near the patio; however, if one lives in an area that gets cold winters, the gardener must bring their spider lily inside so it may overwinter. The fact that this plant can be propagated quickly and is a popular landscape plant, it does bring industry value.
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Gilman EF. Crinum spp. Crinum Lily. 2015.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fp155 (accessed 14 Sep2020).
tytyga.com. https://www.tytyga.com/The-Ancient-Crinum-Lily-Inhabiting-The-Island-Of-Saint-Simon-And-Sea-Island-Georgia-a/421.htm (accessed 14 Sep2020).
Crinum. Gardening in the Coastal Southeast. http://southeastgarden.com/crinum.html (accessed 13 Sep2020).
Crinum Lily. Guide to Florida Landscape Plants for the southern half of the Sunshine State. https://www.south-florida-plant-guide.com/crinum-lily.html (accessed 14 Sep2020).
