Crinum

Crinum
	Crinum asiaticum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily:	Amaryllidoideae
Subtribe:	Crininae
Genus:	Crinum; L.
Type species
	Crinum americanum; L.
Species
	About 180 species, see text.

Crinum is a genus of about 180 species of perennial plants that have large showy flowers on leafless stems, and develop from bulbs. They are found in seasonally moist areas, including marshes, swamps, depressions and along the sides of streams and lakes in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide.

Genus name

The word Crinum comes from the Ancient Greek κρίνον (krinon), meaning lily, via the Latin crinum.^[2] This word is still present in Modern Greek as κρίνος (krinos).

Description

Crinum leaves are basal, typically long and strap-shaped, with colors ranging from light green to green.

Cytological studies have shown that 27 species of Crinum are diploid, having a typical chromosome count of 2n = 22. Abilio Fernandes found that the Orange River Crinum bulbispermum had a count of 2n = 66, and some desert Crinum macowanii 2n = 44. These polyploid species produce seeds that are often parthenogenetic triploid or diploids, lack vigour and seldom grow to mature plants.^[3]

Taxonomy

As of July 2014^[update], the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families lists 105 species of Crinum.^[4] Amongst these are:

Crinum americanum L. – southern swamplily, seven sisters
Crinum asiaticum L. – poisonbulb
Crinum bulbispermum (Burm.f.) Milne-Redh. & Schweick. – hardy swamplily
Crinum latifolium L.
Crinum macowanii Baker
Crinum moorei Hook.f.
Crinum pedunculatum R.Br., syn. C. asiaticum var. pedunculatum – swamplily, river lily or spider lily
Crinum thaianum Schulze – onion plant
Crinum viviparum (Lam.) R.Ansari & V.J.Nair – Indian Subcontinent to Indo-China

Formerly placed here

Agapanthus africanus (L.) Hoffmanns. (as C. africanum L.)
Ammocharis heterostyla (Bullock) Milne-Redh. & Schweick. (as C. heterostylum Bullock)
Cyrtanthus angustifolius (L.f.) Aiton (as C. angustifolius L.f.)
Cyrtanthus elatus (Jacq.) Traub (as C. speciosum L.f.)
Cyrtanthus obliquus (L.f.) Aiton (as C. obliquum L.f.)
Hippeastrum argentinum (Pax) Hunz. (as C. argentinum Pax)
Urceolina urceolata (Ruiz & Pav.) Asch. & Graebn. (as C. urceolatum Ruiz & Pav.)^[5]

Hybrids

× Amarcrinum hybridised with Amaryllis
C. × powellii^[6] (garden hybrid between C. bulbispermum and C. moorei) - pale pink, fragrant, lily-like flowers produced in late summer
- C. × powellii 'Album'^[7] (white flowered cultivar)

Uses

Several species are used in aquariums and in aquascaping. These include Crinum calamistratum, Crinum malabaricum, Crinum natans, and Crinum thaianum.^[8]

Gallery

Crinum moorei
Crinum moorei at Strybing Arboretum, San Francisco
Crinum ornatum, SW Burkina Faso
Crinum species in Hyderabad, India
Queen Emma lily (Crinum augustum or Crinum amabile var. augustum) in Hawaiʻi
Crinum 'Ellen Bosanquet'

References

^ "Genus: Crinum L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2010-01-27. Archived from the original on 2009-01-14. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
^ "crinum". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
^ "A Systematic Revision of the Genus Crinum". Archived from the original on 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
^ "Search for Crinum", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2014-07-07
^ "GRIN Species Records of Crinum". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
^ "RHS Plant Selector - Crinum × powellii". Retrieved 17 June 2013.
^ "RHS Plant Selector - Crinum × powellii 'Album'". Retrieved 17 June 2013.
^ Kasselmann, Christel (2020). Aquarium Plants. Teltow, Germany. pp. 210–214. ISBN 978-3-00-064912-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

Bibliography

Germishuizen, G.; Meyer, N.L., eds. (2003). "Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist" (PDF). Strelitzia. 14 (i–vi): 1–1231. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-27. (online version)

External links

Crinum in West African plants – A Photo Guide.

[GRIN-1] "Genus: Crinum L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2010-01-27. Archived from the original on 2009-01-14. Retrieved 2011-02-08.

[2] "crinum". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 25 November 2024.

[3] "A Systematic Revision of the Genus Crinum". Archived from the original on 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2012-02-08.

[WCSP_Crinum-4] "Search for Crinum", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2014-07-07

[GRINSpecies-5] "GRIN Species Records of Crinum". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2011-02-08.

[6] "RHS Plant Selector - Crinum × powellii". Retrieved 17 June 2013.

[7] "RHS Plant Selector - Crinum × powellii 'Album'". Retrieved 17 June 2013.

[kasselman2020-8] Kasselmann, Christel (2020). Aquarium Plants. Teltow, Germany. pp. 210–214. ISBN 978-3-00-064912-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

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