Crinum Species One

Crinum species A-B are found on this wiki page.

Crinum Species C-J - Crinum Species L-N - Crinum Species O-Z - Crinum Species Index - Crinum Hybrids Index

Crinum album (syn. C. yemense) is a species native to Yemen and portions of the Middle East and northeastern Africa. Though these areas are associated with arid climates, this plant seems to be adapted to climates which are seasonally wet at least and I expect that this is not a desert species. This particular plant is a descedent of material distributed by L.S.Hannibal as Crinum yemense. L.S. Hannibal also apparently distributed other similar plant material as Crinum abyssinicum. Though I am growing material from both groups of stock, I cannot comment on their similarity or differences as yet. Care also must be taken to not confuse these with plants in the trade distributed by L.S. Hannibal as abyssinicum hybrid or pink abyssinicum hybrid, which seem to be hybrids involving Crinum moorei. I got this plant as Crinum yemense which is now considered Crinum album. This plant seems to match the descriptions of this species and it is inter as well as intraspecifically fertile producing large seeds nearly as large as as a tennis ball but as small as .75" in diameter as well. Photos by Alani Davis.

This plant will occasionally produce a double flower as the the first or rather first two flowers of a scape. Sometimes these will be fully unified and at other times it will be like conjoined twins as is shown in these photos. I have never been able to get seed from these flowers whether with one or two pistils present. Photos by Alani Davis.

Crinum americanum is native to wetlands in the southeastern United States. It can spread by large rhizomes, so give it space or keep it in a container. Grown and photographed in the gardens of Jim McKenney & Alani Davis.

Crinum americanum in natural population in Bay County, Florida. Photos by Alani Davis.

Crinum amoenum is native to India, where it grows along rivers. The flowers look much like C. americanum and allies, but it does not spread by rhizomes. The flowers tend to open all at once, so an individual scape is glorious but short lived. Photos by Nestor White and Alani Davis.

Another form or possibly another species that is being distributed as Crinum amoenum though the tepals are differently poised the plants of the two forms are very similar, and for now I am calling it droopy Crinum amoenum. Photos by Alani Davis.

Crinum asiaticum is a large, variable species occurring from western India throughout southeastern Asia to southern Japan, south through the Indo-Pacific Islands to northern Australia. There are a number of forms/species associated within this complex and addition this species has become widespread as a landscaping plant in the tropics and subtropics. This plant is flowering for the first time from a seed grown plant and is four years old. Photos by Alani Davis.

Crinum bulbispermum is native to South Africa. It has distinctive long, tapered glaucous foliage and blooms early in the season, but often repeats later. The flowers are typically white with reddish keels, but there is much variation in the coverage and intensity of anthocyanins pigmentation. Variations from white forms, free of anthocyanins & with green keels, to nearly red heavily pigmented forms exist. It is also common for there to be forms which open quite pale & get progressively more pigmented over a period of days with the darkening rose-red pigment spreading typically from the keels outward across the tepal and varying in a range of expression from individual to individual with some getting quite dark rose red all over to others which only darken near the keels. This characteristic also seems to be affected by the temperature with flowers on the same plant deepening in tone & pigmentation more rapidly & intensely with blooms occurring during hot temperatures compared to those that occur during cool parts of the season. This characteristic is expressed in several hybrids as well. This Crinum species is among the most tolerant of cold winter temperatures and may be the most cold tolerant Crinum species. There are naturalized colonies and scattered populations of this species across the southeastern United States and though it may be locally common in some areas, its occurrences are variable in many parts of the region. Within these populations, sometimes unique forms can be found though usually they are less than distinct. Photos by Alani Davis.

This is a "typical" form growing in a cemetery.

This is a full flowered white selection.

'Wide Open White' is a found selection of C. bulbispermum with white flowers that open nearly flat initially thought they partially close as they age. The scapes are especially tall and prone to falling over once the buds open. It is best enjoyed if the are staked. Otherwise this form is typical to the species and it quite fertile.

'Wide Open Green' ?? is another selection from the population that produced the 'Wide Open White' selection. It is also a white form without pigment but rather than the narrow pigmented band on the keel that 'Wide Open White' has this selection has a wide diffuse one which without the pigments is green to yellowish. Flowers are flared as well though not as sharply as with 'Wide Open White'. Fittingly it bloomed for the first time in my garden on St. Patrick's Day!

'Jumbo' seed strain began as selections of intraspecific hybrids of C. bulbispermum done by L. S. Hannibal to get larger fuller flowers, better coloration, and sturdier scapes that remain upright until flowers finish. Generally these characteristics are improved in this strain but vary with some selections being quite outstanding. Many others have continued to cross & selections from this strain with a great results. Also classic hybrid crosses involving Crinum bulbispermum repeated with this form have produce improved & larger hybrids. These pictures are of a form that opens pale colored & darkens with age.

'Jumbo' seed strain a red selection

Crinum buphanoides This is a young, seed-grown plant flowering for the first time. Information on this species can be found in L.S. Hannibal's "A Systematic Revision of the Genus Crinum". Photo by Rogan Roth.

Crinum Species C-J - Crinum Species L-N - Crinum Species O-Z - Crinum Species Index - Crinum Hybrids Index

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