Hymenocallis Explained

Hymenocallis ^[1] (US) or ^[2] (UK) is a genus of flowering plants in the amaryllis family native to the Americas.

Hymenocallis contains more than 60 species of herbaceous bulbous perennials native to the southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Some species are cultivated as ornamentals in warm nations around the globe, and a few have become naturalized in parts of Africa and on various tropical islands. Many of the species from the Caribbean and from the southeastern United States inhabit wet areas such as marshes, streambanks, and seashores. Some species even have floating seeds. Some of the Mexican species, in contrast, grow on grassy slopes in hills and mountains.^[3]

The flower stalks arise from basal rosettes of strap-shaped leaves. The terminal clusters of fragrant flowers are green, white or yellow, and can be large and spectacular. The genus name is derived from the Greek words ὑμήν (hymen), meaning "membrane", and καλός (kalos), meaning "beautiful". It refers to the curious shape of the flowers, which consist of six narrow, curved petals attached to a shallow cup that is formed from the fused stamens. The effect is of a spidery daffodil or lily, thus explaining the common name "spider lily".

Taxonomy

The genus Hymenocallis was created by Richard Anthony Salisbury in 1812, when he separated out a number of species formerly placed in Pancratium, starting with Hymenocallis littoralis. The main reason for the separation was that the fruits have only two seeds in each locule. Salisbury explained the name as referring to the "beautiful membrane which connects the filaments."^[4]

Species

, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families accepts 65 species:^{[5] [6]}

1. Hymenocallis acutifolia (Herb. ex Sims) Sweet - Mexico
2. Hymenocallis araniflora T.M.Howard - Sinaloa, Nayarit
3. Hymenocallis arenicola Northr. - Bahamas, Greater Antilles
4. Hymenocallis astrostephana T.M.Howard - Guerrero
5. Hymenocallis azteciana Traub - Jalisco, Nayarit, Zacatecas
6. Hymenocallis baumlii Ravenna - Chiapas
7. Hymenocallis bolivariana Traub - Monagas in Venezuela
8. Hymenocallis caribaea (L.) Herb.  - Caribbean spiderlily - West Indies
9. Hymenocallis choctawensis Traub  - Choctaw spiderlily - Louisiana to Florida Panhandle
10. Hymenocallis choretis Hemsl. - southern Mexico
11. Hymenocallis cleo Ravenna - Chiapas
12. Hymenocallis clivorum Laferr. - Sonora
13. Hymenocallis concinna Baker - Jalisco
14. Hymenocallis cordifolia Micheli - Guerrero
15. Hymenocallis coronaria (Leconte) Kunth  - Cahaba lily - South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama
16. Hymenocallis crassifolia Herb. - South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida
17. Hymenocallis durangoensis T.M.Howard - Durango
18. Hymenocallis duvalensis Traub ex Laferr.  - Dixie spiderlily - Georgia, Florida
19. Hymenocallis eucharidifolia Baker - Guerrero, Oaxaca
20. Hymenocallis fragrans (Salisb.) Salisb. - Jamaica
21. Hymenocallis franklinensis Ger.L.Sm.  - Franklin spiderlily - Florida Panhandle
22. Hymenocallis gholsonii G.Lom.Sm. & Garland - Florida Panhandle
23. Hymenocallis glauca (Zucc.) M.Roem. - central + southern Mexico
24. Hymenocallis godfreyi G.L.Sm. & Darst  - Godfrey's spiderlily - Florida Panhandle
25. Hymenocallis graminifolia Greenm. - Morelos
26. Hymenocallis guatemalensis Traub - Guatemala
27. Hymenocallis guerreroensis T.M.Howard - Guerrero
28. Hymenocallis harrisiana Herb. - central + southern Mexico
29. Hymenocallis henryae Traub  - Henry's spiderlily - Florida Panhandle
30. Hymenocallis howardii Bauml - western Mexico
31. Hymenocallis imperialis T.M.Howard - San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo
32. Hymenocallis incaica Ravenna - Peru
33. Hymenocallis jaliscensis M.E.Jones - Jalisco, Nayarit
34. Hymenocallis latifolia (Mill.) M.Roem.  - perfumed spiderlily - West Indies, Florida
35. Hymenocallis leavenworthii (Standl. & Steyerm.) Bauml - Michoacán
36. Hymenocallis lehmilleri T.M.Howard - Guerrero
37. Hymenocallis limaensis Traub - Lima Province in Peru
38. Hymenocallis liriosme (Raf.) Shinners  - Texan spiderlily (yellow center) - south-central United States
39. Hymenocallis littoralis (Jacq.) Salisb. - Mexico, Central America, northern South America
40. Hymenocallis lobata Klotzsch - Venezuela
41. Hymenocallis longibracteata Hochr. - Veracruz
42. Hymenocallis maximilianii T.M.Howard - Guerrero
43. Hymenocallis multiflora Vargas - Peru
44. Hymenocallis occidentalis (Leconte) Kunth - southeastern + south-central United States
45. Hymenocallis ornata (C.D.Bouché) M.Roem. - Guatemala
46. Hymenocallis ovata (Mill.) M.Roem. - Cuba
47. Hymenocallis palmeri S.Watson  - alligator lily (yellow center) - Florida
48. Hymenocallis partita Ravenna - Chiapas
49. Hymenocallis phalangidis Bauml - Nayarit
50. Hymenocallis pimana Laferr. - Chihuahua, Sonora
51. Hymenocallis portamonetensis Ravenna - Chiapas
52. Hymenocallis praticola Britton & P.Wilson - Cuba
53. Hymenocallis proterantha Bauml - southern Mexico
54. Hymenocallis pumila Bauml - Jalisco, Colima
55. Hymenocallis puntagordensis Traub  - Punta Gordo spiderlily - southern Florida
56. Hymenocallis pygmaea Traub - North Carolina, South Carolina
57. Hymenocallis rotata (Ker Gawl.) Herb.  - streambank spiderlily - northern Florida
58. †Hymenocallis schizostephana Worsley - Brazil but extinct
59. Hymenocallis sonorensis Standl. - Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit
60. Hymenocallis speciosa (L.f. ex Salisb.) Salisb.  - green-tinge spiderlily - Windward Islands
61. Hymenocallis tridentata Small - Florida
62. Hymenocallis tubiflora Salisb. - Trinidad, Venezuela, Guianas, northwestern Brazil
63. Hymenocallis vasconcelosii García-Mend. - Oaxaca, Puebla
64. Hymenocallis venezuelensis Traub - Venezuela
65. Hymenocallis woelfleana T.M.Howard - Durango, Sinaloa, Nayarit

Formerly included^[5] Numerous names have been coined for species once considered members of Hymenocallis but now regarded as better suited to other genera. Most of the species are native to South America. Such genera include Clinanthus, Eucharis, Ismene, Leptochiton and Pancratium. Below are some examples of these species:

Phylogeny

It is closely related to Ismene, to which it shared a common ancestor 26.14 million years ago. It is the sister group to Leptochiton, from which it separated 24.46 million years ago.^[7]

Cultivation

Most Hymenocallis must be grown in a warm greenhouse or in a sheltered sunny spot where the ground does not freeze. The North American species H. occidentalis is found as far north as southwestern Indiana where winters can reach 0F.^[8] They like good drainage and grow well in a soil rich with organic matter. The following species and hybrids are found in cultivation:-

H. amancaes H. caribaea H. harrisiana H. littoralis H. × macrostephana^[9] (H. narcissiflora × H. speciosa)

H. narcissiflora H. speciosa H. 'Sulphur Queen'

See also

• List of plants known as lily

Notes and References

1. Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
2. , p. 76
3. Book: RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. 2008. Dorling Kindersley. United Kingdom. 978-1405332965. 1136.

4. see page 338 in the third edition published in 1820.

5. , search for "Hymenocallis"
6. http://www.liliumbreeding.nl/FOB_6(SI1)129-139o.pdf Tapia-Campos, E, JM Rodriguez-Dominguez, M. M. Revuelta-Arreola, J.M. van Tuyl, R. Barbra-Gonzolez. 2013. Mexican geophytes II: the genera Hymenocallis, Sprekelia, and Zephyranthes. Floriculture and Ornamental Biology 6 (Special Issue 1): 129-139.
7. Meerow, A. W., Gardner, E. M., & Nakamura, K. (2020). "Phylogenomics of the Andean tetraploid clade of the American Amaryllidaceae (subfamily Amaryllidoideae): unlocking a polyploid generic radiation abetted by continental geodynamics." Frontiers in Plant Science, 11, 582422.
8. Web site: BONAP's North American Plant Atlas . The Biota of North America Program . 7 August 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130628105915/http://bonap.org/BONAPmaps2010/Hymenocallis.html . 28 June 2013 .
9. Web site: RHS Plant Selector - ' . 23 June 2013.