Hymenocallis – Spider lily.
Family Amaryllidaceae > Subfamily Amaryllidoideae.
There are around 64 species.
Perennial herbs with large bulbs and sometimes rhizomes.
There are 4 to 7 basal, somewhat fleshy leaves in 2 ranks.
They are strap-like and can be erect, to arching to nearly prostrate.
They are evergreen or deciduous and bright green or bluish-green.
Common sizes are 40 to 60 cm long by 1 to 3 cm wide.
Others can be 2.5 cm long by 1 cm wide up to 100 cm long and 9 cm wide.
The single bare inflorescence stalk or scape can be round or somewhat flattened.
It is commonly up to 30 cm high with 2 to 3 (1 – 15) flowers at the top.
The buds are enclosed in 2 large bracts up to 7 cm long and 12 mm wide.
The individual flowers also have bracts up to 3 cm long by 4 mm wide.
The 3 tepals are white or pale green.
Their bases are fused into a floral tube up to 10 cm long.
The narrow tepal lobes can be up to 10 cm long by 6 mm wide.
They may be longer or shorter than the floral tube.
There is a greenish keel on the back.
There are 6 long, thin green stamens with anthers up to 1.7 mm long.
Pollen is yellow or orange.
The filament bases are joined by a thin white membrane – the staminal corona.
The corona can be up to 7 cm across, tubular, funnel-shaped to almost flat.
There are small to large irregular teeth on the edge.
The cup can be large or small compared to the tepal lobes.
The green ovary has 3 locules with 1 to 3 (5 – 9) ovules in each.
Ovary size varies from about 1 to 3 cm long and 5 – 10 mm wide.
The green and white style is up to 17 cm long.
The fruit are capsules up to 2.5 cm wide.
J.F.
