Perfumed spiderlily

Description

Hymenocallis latifolia (mangrove spider-lily or perfumed spider-lily) is a bulb-forming perennial that grows on beaches, sand dunes, mangrove swamps and other wetlands along the coasts of Florida, Mexico, and the West Indies (Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, etc.). It has showy white flowers and large green seeds up to 2.5 cm in diam. Common names include "mangrove spider-lily," "perfumed spider-lily," Hymenocallis contains more than 60 species of herbaceous bulbous perennials native to the southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Some species are cultivated as ornamentals in warm nations around the globe, and a few have become naturalized in parts of Africa and on various tropical islands. Many of the species from the Caribbean and from the southeastern United States inhabit wet areas such as marshes, streambanks, and seashores. Some species even have floating seeds. Some of the Mexican species, in contrast, grow on grassy slopes in hills and mountains. The flower stalks arise from basal rosettes of strap-shaped leaves. The terminal clusters of fragrant flowers are green, white or yellow, and can be large and spectacular. The genus name is derived from the Greek words (hymen), meaning "membrane", and (kalos), meaning "beautiful". It refers to the curious shape of the flowers, which consist of six narrow, curved petals attached to a shallow cup that is formed from the fused stamens. The effect is of a spidery daffodil or lily, thus explaining the common name "spider lily". The genus Hymenocallis was created by Richard Anthony Salisbury in 1812, when he separated out a number of species formerly placed in Pancratium, starting with Hymenocallis littoralis. The main reason for the separation was that the fruits have only two seeds in each locule. Salisbury explained the name as referring to the "beautiful membrane which connects the filaments."