Subject: spider lilly

From: [email-masked] (Michael L Roginsky )
Date: 6 Sep 1995 21:22:48 GMT

I live in the piedmont area of Georgia and some 30 years ago
I found a very delicate and aromatic lilly growing next to
a creek. I transplanted it closer to the house and it multiplied
very nicely. In recent years the plants have been succumbing to
a desease that turns the foliage yellow soon after they emerge
and die. I kept some specimens alive by moving them to other places.
The County Agent examined one of the dead bulbs and recommended
using Diazanon granules around the survivors, but that is not working.
I have a book indicating this lilly is one of the endangered species.
Can someone offer help in treating these few plants that are still
in viable shape? [email-masked]

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From: Scott Ranger <[email-masked]>
Date: 7 Sep 1995 13:20:13 GMT

Georgia has three species of spider lily:

   Shoals spider lily (Hymenocallis coronaria) and it grows in flowing 
water as the common name implies.  There is a wonderful spot for it on 
Flat Shoals Creek in Harris County.  In Alabama it's called the Cahaba 
Lily as it grows in the Cahaba River.  As you might guess, this spider 
lily won't do well unless it lives in shallow flowing water.  No amount of 
cajoling will help.  This is the federally protected species.

   Thick-leafed spider lily (Hymenocallis crassifolia) is our most common 
species, and it grows in an amazing variety of habitats. I've seen it 
survive in horrible rocky soil, but it by far prefers moist, rich soil, 
likes lots of sun but can survive in filtered sun.

   Hymenocallis occidentalis (no common name) is very similar to H. 
crassifolia, but the leaves are thinner, and it seems to adapt to more 
widely varying conditions than H. crassifolia as well.  It is fairly 
widespread in eastern AL and western GA, nearly always in rich soil.

   Talking to folks that seem to know say that transplanting and keeping 
healthy plants of these species is very difficult and that they usually 
begin to decline after the first couple of years.

   Please don't try to grow H. coronaria.  It's protected, and it's very 
unlikely you'll have the right conditions.

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From: [email-masked] (Marco_Bleeker)
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 1995 00:02:52

There are also Hymenocallis species in the tropical rainforest, am I 
correct? I think I found it in Surinam. Are there many H. species ?  Would H. 
be more characteristic for either the Amazone or Guiana plateau floristic 
region ?

<[email-masked]>------------<http://www.euronet.nl/users/mbleeker/>
>-------------<Plants, Programs, Primitive creatures>------------------<
<Marco Bleeker>------------<nl-en-de-fr>------------<Amsterdam, Holland>

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 8 Sep 95 23:51:52 -0500

> <Marco Bleeker>------------<nl-en-de-fr>------------<Amsterdam, Holland>

Hymenocallis (sensu stricto) extends from SE U.S. to Northern SOuth
America.  The species you saw in Surinam rain forest was H. tubiflora.
In the Andes there are 2 related genera, Ismene and Leptochiton which
some botanists treat as part of Hymenocallis (I don't).  The greatest
number of Hymenocallis species are in Mexico.  In Florida we have 5-8
species.  In the West Indies there are about the same number.  Total
number for genus is around 50 probably.  The genus seems to evolve
primarily via aneuploid and polyploid increase in chromosome number, the
flowers are very similar on most species, the two combined make it difficult to
determine species delimitation.