Crinum

Herbs, perennial, scapose, from bulbs with elongate columnar apices. Leaves basal, thick; blade lorate or ensiform, not narrowed near base. Scape solid. Inflorescences umbellate, few- to many-flowered, subtended by 2 large, lanceolate, scarious bracts. Flowers sessile or pedicellate; perianth connate proximally, red to white, often striped, streaked, or overlaid with red abaxially, funnelform to salverform to semicampanulate, tube straight to curved, ca. same length as limb lobes; stamens inserted on perianth tube throat; filaments thin, often declinate; ovary inferior, globose; style slender; stigma capitate. Fruits capsular, globose or subglobose, usually prominently beaked. Seeds fleshy, testa often corky.

Distribution

Tropical and warm regions worldwide, mostly in Africa.

Discussion

Species ca. 100 (4 in the flora).

Selected References

Moldenke, H. N. 1962. Amaryllid genera and species. Pl. Life 18: 48–50.

Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, and D. W. Hall. 1985. The vascular flora of central Florida: Taxonomic and nomenclatural changes, additional taxa. Sida 11: 232–244.

Lower Taxa

Crinum americanum, Crinum asiaticum, Crinum bulbispermum, Crinum zeylanicum

Key

1	Flowers sessile or nearly so.	> 2
1	Flowers distinctly pedicellate.	> 3
2	Perianth white.	Crinum americanum
2	Perianth purplish red, particularly abaxially.	Crinum zeylanicum
3	Perianth pink to red; leaves 3–5 cm wide; umbels 8–13-flowered.	Crinum bulbispermum
3	Perianth white; leaves 7.5–12 cm wide; umbels 20–100-flowered.	Crinum asiaticum