Hymenocallis

Kevin D. Preuss hyline@tampabay.rr.com
Sun, 10 Oct 2004 03:03:59 PDT
In response to Joe and Corey's comment...

I'd like to know what the differences between H. tubiflora and H. speciosa
exactly are.  I believe H. tubiflora is from NE South America, the Guyanas
in particular.  It is widely cultivated throughout NE Brazil, and it has
either naturalized there or is native as far south as Itabuna, Bahia Brazil
(perhaps even farther south).  Remote colonies have established along a few
of the rivers in the coastal  plains (east of the Mts..) Bahia.  Once in a
book I read the plants cultivated in Brazil are actually H. speciosa.
H. speciosa is from Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, I think.  somebody
correct me if I am off base here, please.  H. speciosa could even possibly
be a natural hybrid  of H. caribbeae and H.. tubiflora.  So much of the
collections made in the 1800's are in such rough shape and lacking info that
one ahs a difficult time assessing the situation.  Plus, so much
translocation of plants by storms and peoples has distorted the distribution
(hurricanes can cause great disturbance and Hymenocallis are early
succession colonizer in some of these coastal areas.

As for H occidentalis, one eventually comes the realization that there is a
variant/subspecies/form, whatever you wanna call it, from Texas, LA ,
western ALand parts of Eastern OK - this is H. occidentalis var. eulae,
a.k.a. H. galvestonensis (even though the plant found in Galveston is H.
liriosme...).
H. occidentalis var. occidentalis is the taxon that occurs from the
panhandle of FL north to the Carolinas (often referred to as H. caroliniana,
a syn for Pancratium maritimum...). The mother populations are found in N.
GA
Both form are upland taxa; most often mesic forest to prairie (moist)
dwellers.  Both typically flower in late summer after losing their glaucous
blue-green foliage.

The H. caroliniana and H. occidentalis from western FL to LA from in wetland
conditions, particularly along riverine ecosystems, seem to be H.
choctawensis, another poorly understood species.

Best,
Kevin D. Preuss
http://www.amaryllis-plus.com/



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