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Crinum americanum

southern swamp crinum

Amaryllidaceae Southeastern United States

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Deer Resistant Fragrant (strong)Container Friendly

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterHigh

HardinessZones 8–11

Overview

Crinum americanum is an aquatic bulbous perennial of the southeastern United States, growing in standing water and saturated muck at the margins of swamps, marshes, and slow streams. From a large bulb 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) wide it sends up strap-shaped, arching leaves 2-4 feet (60-120 cm) long and 1-3 inches (2.5-8 cm) wide. In summer and fall a leafless stalk 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) tall carries an umbel of two to six fragrant white flowers, each with six narrow, recurved tepals 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) long and rose-tinged stamens, opening in the manner of a spider lily. The scent is strongest at night. After flowering, large rounded seeds develop that can float and root in mud nearby. C. americanum spreads by offset bulbs into dense colonies in permanently wet ground. It needs consistently moist to flooded soil and declines in dry borders, and the bulbs and leaves contain alkaloids that are toxic if eaten.

Native Range

Native to the southeastern United States, along the Coastal Plain from South Carolina and Georgia through Florida and west to Texas. It grows in freshwater swamps, marshes, wet ditches, and the muddy margins of ponds and slow streams.

Suggested Uses

Grown at the margins of ponds and water gardens, in bog and rain gardens, and in containers set in shallow water. It naturalizes in warm-climate wetlands and ditches. In cooler regions it is kept as a potted aquatic moved under cover for winter.

How to Identify

Identify it by broad, strap-shaped, arching leaves 2-4 feet (60-120 cm) long rising from a large bulb in wet ground or shallow water. The summer scape bears an umbel of fragrant white flowers with six narrow, recurved tepals and rose-tinged stamens, shaped like a spider lily. Its aquatic habitat, nocturnal fragrance, and floating seeds separate it from terrestrial Crinum spp. and Hymenocallis spp. species.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height2' - 4'

Width/Spread2' - 3'

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~20 weeks

Spring Summer Fall

Flowering occurs from late spring through fall, mainly May to October, peaking in summer, with flushes often following heavy rain. Each scape opens two to six white, narrow-tepaled flowers that release a strong fragrance at night. Established clumps bloom repeatedly across the warm season.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

white with rose-tinged stamens

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam clay silt peat

Drainagewet

Water & Climate

Water Needs

High

Frost Tolerance

tender

Time to Maturity

2-3 years

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grow in full sun to part shade in mucky, humus-rich soil that stays wet to flooded; it grows at pond edges, in bog gardens, and in containers standing in water. The soil is kept saturated, as the plant declines in ground that dries out. In zones 8 and warmer it remains in place year-round, while a hard freeze cuts the foliage back, with the bulb resprouting in spring. No fertilizer is needed in rich wetland mud, though a slow-release feed supports bloom in pots. Propagate by separating offset bulbs or by sowing the fleshy seeds in wet mud. In colder regions the bulbs are grown in submerged pots that can be moved to a frost-free spot for winter.

Pruning

Pruning is limited to removing spent flower scapes and yellowed or frost-damaged leaves at the base. Tattered foliage is cut away in late winter before new growth begins. Seed heads are removed if self-sowing into nearby mud is not wanted.