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Crinum bulbispermum

Common name:		Family:	Amaryllidaceae
Author:	(Burm.f.)Milne-Redh.& Schweick.	Botanical references:
Synonyms:	Crinum longifolium ((L.) Thunb..), Crinum capense
Known Hazards:	One report says that the plant is toxic to mammals, but gives no indication as to the degree of toxicity.
Range:	S. Africa - S. Transvaal and N. Natal.
Habitat:	Seasonal pools, marshes and the banks of rivers[90].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Amaryllis bulbispermum[G] Amaryllis longifolia[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Hardy Swamp-lily [B], Hardy Swamplily [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	bulbispermum = bulbous seeds
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Lesotho

Physical Characteristics

Bulb growing to 1m by 0.6m . It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower from June to August. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Root.

Root?? A number of species in this genus have edible bulbs. Although no records have been seen for this species, it is fairly hardy in Britain and the root can be as large as a football. It is worthy of investigation[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Easily grown in a moist soil or the garden border[90]. Requires a rich well-drained soil in a warm sheltered sunny position[188].
Plants are only hardy in the milder areas of the country, tolerating temperatures down to about -10° c[90]. It is probable that the plants may require winter protection with dry leaves or bracken[90].
Bulbs are sensitive to transplanting and may take several years to establish. The bulbs should be planted with their necks above soil level[233]. This conflicts with another report which says that they should be planted quite deeply in the soil[1]. Only plant out good sized bulbs and do so at the end of May[1].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[233].
The flowers emit a sweet, somewhat spicy odour which is especially pronounced at nightfall[245].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe, placing 2 - 3 seeds in individual pots in a greenhouse. Do not cover the seed. Sow stored seed April/May in a warm greenhouse. Once they have germinated, you can thin each pot to just one plant if required, though we have not found this to be necessary. Give an occasional liquid feed to ensure that the plants do not suffer nutritional deficiencies. Grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first 2 years, planting them out into their permanent positions in the spring.
Division of offsets in April/May or in September. When divided in the spring, the bulbs can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, if done in September, however, they should be potted up and overwintered in the greenhouse.

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers emit a sweet, somewhat spicy odour which is especially proounced at nightfall.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Crinum longifolium (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for the family Amaryllidaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[90] Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30253-1
Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Crinum+bulbispermum
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