Beach Spiderlily

Description

Hymenocallis littoralis or the beach spider lily is a plant species of the genus Hymenocallis, native to warmer coastal regions of Latin America and widely cultivated and naturalized in many tropical countries. Hymenocallis littoralis is a bulbous perennial herb. It ranges in height from 60–70 cm (24-28 inches). The bulb is 7–10 cm (3-4 inches) in diameter. With age, the bulb develops a neck that reaches 4–5 cm in diameter (up to 2 inches). The flowers are large, white, vanilla scented, and sessile. The tepals are adnate (attached to) the staminal cup. Each flower's tube is 14 to 17 cm (5 to 7 inches) long or longer. Hymenocallis littoralis is regarded as native to Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Venezuela. It is considered naturalized in Angola, the Bismarck Archipelago, Cape Verde, the Caroline Islands, the Central African Republic, the Chagos Archipelago, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, French Guiana, The Gambia, the Gilbert Islands, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, the Gulf of Guinea Islands, Hawaii, India, Java, the Line Islands, Marianas, Marquesas, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Nauru, Niue, Ogasawara-shoto, the Philippines, Samoa, the Seychelles, the Society Islands, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tonga, Wake Island, Zaire and Zambia. Hymenocallis littoralis is often grown as an ornamental. It requires sunlight to partial shade for proper growth and blooms from mid-summer to late autumn with white flowers. It may be grown aquatically. Hymenocallis littoralis is included in the Tasmanian Fire Service's list of low flammability plants, indicating that it is suitable for growing within a building protection zone. 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.