Crinum powellii
Common Names: Cape lily, Powell's crinum lily
Family: Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis Family)
Perennial Easy to grow - great for beginners! Has evergreen foliage
Flowers
Description
In the 19th century, English plant breeders crossed two species of
South African crinum lilies - Crinum bulbispermum and C. moorei - to
create the hybrid Crinum X powellii, or Cape lily. The Cape lily has
gone on to become one of the most popular perennials in the southern
United States, passed along though generations of gardeners. The
Cape lily grows in a mound of arching straplike leaves 3-4 ft
(0.8-1.2 m) long which arise from a large, long-necked bulb. The
bulb can be as much as 7 in (18 cm) in diameter. The fragrant funnel
shaped flowers grow to 4 in (10 cm) long and are borne on leafless
stalks in succession from late summer until autumn. Many garden
crinums, the "milk and wine lilies", have striped flowers, but Cape
lily has flowers that are either all white or all pink. Most
cultivars are some shade of pink. 'Cecil Houdyshel', which produces
clusters of 6-10 deep rose-pink flowers throughout the summer, is an
old time southern favorite. 'Album' has pure white flowers.
The crinum lilies are similar to spider lilies (Hymenocallis) and
amaryllises (Amaryllis), but can be distinguished by having basal
rosettes of whorled leaves, unlike those of the others which have
their leaves in two distinct ranks.
Location
Cape lily (Crinum X powellii) is of garden origin, the result of
hybridization between two South African crinum lilies.
Culture
Plant crinum bulbs with the neck just a little above ground level in
a fertile, humus-rich moist soil.
Light: Cape lily does well in full sun or partial shade, but
produces more flowers in full sun.
Moisture: Cape lily tolerates heavier soils than many bulbs, but
still does best in well drained soils. Water freely during the
flowering season.
Hardiness: USDA Zones 6 - 11. This is one of the most cold hardy of
the crinum lilies, but it still cannot tolerate long, freezing
winters. In the Lower South, Cape lily is evergreen, but the foliage
dies to the ground following freezing temperatures. Cape lily can be
grown farther north if it is mulched very well with dead leaves in
the fall.
Propagation: Crinum bulbs may be divided every 3-5 years. The bulbs
are long and deep rooted, and it's best to dig up the whole clump
and then remove the side bulbs rather than try to slice them off
while still in the ground. Plants started from these offsets may
take 2-3 years before they begin full flowering. Division is best
done in late autumn.
Usage
Cape lilies, and other crinum lilies, are usually planted in
perennial beds or borders or as stand-alone specimen plants left
undisturbed to form large clumps. The longer they are in place, the
more freely they flower; division is not required to maintain vigor,
and the more over crowded they are, the more they bloom. Crinums
adorned the lawns of the finest mansions as well as the poorest
share cropper shacks, and old plantings still may be found marking
the locations of abandoned homesites across the American cotton
belt.
Features
There are some 130 species in the genus Crinum, known simply as
crinums or spider lilies. Only a few species are cultivated (see C.
asiaticum), but hundreds of hybrids have been bred. The famous
plantsman, Luther Burbank, created several crinum hybrids in his
California gardens. C. americana, southern swamp lily, is a common
flower in wetlands throughout the southeastern U.S., and the only
crinum native to North America.
warning iconWARNING
All parts of the crinum lilies are poisonous if ingested and the sap
may cause skin eruptions. |
