Crinum Explained

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.

Description

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

Cytological studies have shown that 27 species of Crinum are diploid, having a typical 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.^[1]

Taxonomy

See main article: List of ''Crinum'' species.

, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families lists 105 species of Crinum. Amongst these are:

• Crinum americanum L. – southern swamplily, seven sisters
• Crinum asiaticum L. – poisonbulb
• Crinum bulbispermum (Burm.f.) Milne-Redh. & Schweick. – hardy swamplily
• Crinum latifolium L.
• Crinum macowanii Baker
• Crinum moorei Hook.f.
• Crinum pedunculatum R.Br., syn. C. asiaticum var. pedunculatum – swamplily, river lily or spider lily
• Crinum thaianum Schulze – onion plant
• Crinum viviparum (Lam.) R.Ansari & V.J.Nair – Indian Subcontinent to Indo-China

Formerly placed here

• Agapanthus africanus (L.) Hoffmanns. (as C. africanum L.)
• Ammocharis heterostyla (Bullock) Milne-Redh. & Schweick. (as C. heterostylum Bullock)
• Cyrtanthus angustifolius (L.f.) Aiton (as C. angustifolius L.f.)
• Cyrtanthus elatus (Jacq.) Traub (as C. speciosum L.f.)
• Cyrtanthus obliquus (L.f.) Aiton (as C. obliquum L.f.)
• Hippeastrum argentinum (Pax) Hunz. (as C. argentinum Pax)
• Urceolina urceolata (Ruiz & Pav.) Asch. & Graebn. (as C. urceolatum Ruiz & Pav.)^[2]

Hybrids

• × Amarcrinum hybridised with Amaryllis
• C. × powellii^[3] (garden hybrid between C. bulbispermum and C. moorei) - pale pink, fragrant, lily-like flowers produced in late summer
  • C. × powellii 'Album'^[4] (white flowered cultivar)

Uses

Several species are used in aquariums and in aquascaping. These include Crinum calamistratum, Crinum malabaricum, Crinum natans, and Crinum thaianum.^[5]

See also

• List of plants known as lily

Bibliography

• Germishuizen . G. . Meyer . N.L. . Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist . Strelitzia . 2003 . 14 . i-vi . 1–1231 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110627000657/http://planet.botany.uwc.ac.za/NISL/Biodiversity/Attachments/Plants%20of%20SA.pdf . 2011-06-27 . (online version)

External links

• Crinum . 7 . x.
• Pacific Bulb Society Crinum Page, includes links to photographs
• Crinums In East Texas: Notes From Marcelle Sheppard, includes links to photographs, cultural information, and hybridizing results
• Bulbsociety
• The Genus Crinum
• African Crinums
• Bulb Society
• Juniper Level Botanic Garden Crinum Photo Gallery

Notes and References

1. Web site: A Systematic Revision of the Genus Crinum . 2012-02-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120208132830/http://www.crinum.org/review.html . 2012-02-08 . dead .
2. Web site: GRIN Species Records of Crinum . Germplasm Resources Information Network . United States Department of Agriculture . 2011-02-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090120131818/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?3075 . 2009-01-20 . dead .
3. Web site: RHS Plant Selector - Crinum × powellii. 17 June 2013.
4. Web site: RHS Plant Selector - Crinum × powellii 'Album'. 17 June 2013.
5. Book: Kasselmann . Christel . Aquarium Plants . 2020 . Teltow, Germany . 978-3-00-064912-7 . 210–214.