Crinum species O-Z are found on this wiki page.
Crinum Species A-B - Crinum Species C-J - Crinum Species L-N - Crinum Species Index - Crinum Hybrids Index
Crinum oliganthum is a small plant native to the Caribbean. Allied to C. americanum, it prefers damp growing conditions and spreads by rhizomes. When I bought this from Yucca Do Nursery, they called it Crinum sp. mini-americanum. It is also called 'West Indies mini' Crinum. Their pictures show six-petaled flowers, but these are only five-petaled. The plant is very small and is shown here growing in a 1 gallon container. Photo taken August 2004 by Lee Poulsen & though not directly from them this plant originated from Yucca Do Nurseries; photos summer 2006 by Alani Davis.
Crinum procerum splendens is one of the red leaved forms of C. asiaticum. I am not sure what the exact correct nomenclature for type is at the moment so I am using the older one for now. This is one of the deepest burgundy pigmented forms. The outsides of the tepals are wine colored and the insides are pale pink while the scape is burgundy. Photos by Alani Davis and Alberto Grossi.
Crinum razafindratsiraea is a recently named species from Madagascar. The first three photos are by Alani Davis. The following two photos are from Jacob Knecht's plant grown in Honolulu, Hawai`i. The blooms open slightly at dusk and only fully once night has fallen. I was not able to detect a scent at the time, and the flowers only last one night. The terra cotta pot it was growing in was approx 8cm wide.
Crinum scabrum is a form surrounded with much mystery to its history. Seeming to have originated from an African heritage, it is not known to occur there and where exactly it originated is not clear. Originally it was described from material collected in Rio de Janeiro and its occurrences in the southeast United States and the scattered in the Caribbean as well are areas historically associated with the slave trade. I have had several anecdotal discussions about the medicinal and ethnobotanical uses of this plant and I have often wondered if this was not just a horticultural selection, possible of hybrid origins, which has the useful reproductive characteristic of readily offsetting which many native and wild forms are reluctant to do. It has nicely scented white flowers with red stripes which encourage its growth for mere garden reasons as well which is the reason it is typically grown today. Photos by Alani Davis & Michelle Davis.
Crinum Unknown species was sold as by an African plant importer as C. graminicola which it is not, but I am not sure what it is. Any ideas anyone? The buds on each 50 cm scape open nearly all at one time on the same night with just a few buds opening the night before or the night after. The flowers only last one night & are wilting by dawn the morning after. I have self pollinated all the flowers but have never gotten any seed. The glossy medium green leaves form a low spreading rosette of foliage. Photos by Alani Davis.
Crinum variabile is a species from Namaqualand in South Africa. It grows in seasonal streams. It doesn't mind summer water in cultivation, and tend to bloom better when grown in large pots or in the ground. The photo by Nhu Nguyen shows seeds, one of which has already sprouted.
Crinum zeylanicum is native to western India and Sri Lanka. It has very showy red and white striped flowers, but is tender and needs protection from cold weather. Will grow to at least zone 8b. It is often confused with the Crinum scabrum, however it is quite distinct in several ways. It has a prominent whitish rib on the underside of the leaf which is prominent on several of its hybrids as well. The scapes, peduncles, seed pods, and buds are burgundy and the scape also has a glaucous coating as well giving it a distinctive purplish appearance. Also note the attenuated tip to each tepal especially evident on the photos of the just open flowers. Photos by Alani Davis.
Crinum Species A-B - Crinum Species C-J - Crinum Species L-N - Crinum Species Index - Crinum Hybrids Index
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