Crinum

Scientific name

Crinum L.

Common names

onion plant

Family

Amaryllidaceae

Similar genera

Aponogeton, Hymenocallis, Jasarum, Triglochin, Vallisneria, Zephyranthes

Native distribution

pan-tropical

Species cultivated

Crinum americanum L.

C. calamistratum Bogner & Heine

C. campanulatum Herb.

C. natans Baker

C. thaianum J. Schulze

Adventive distribution

information not available

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

large, submersedsubmersed:
see submerged
or emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
bulb plant

Brief description

Perennial. Stem compact with bulbous rootstock. Leaves in a basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
, sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
, linear, very long and s traptrap:
(n) a plant structure designed to catch and detain animal prey
-like, flat to highly undulateundulate:
(adj) (of, e.g., a margin) with a wavy surface; wavy in the vertical (up and down) plane
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
an umbelumbel:
(n) a flat to convex inflorescence in which the flower pedicels (called rays) all arise from the same point
of 1-7 flowers subtended by an involucreinvolucre:
(n) a whorl of bracts subtending a flower, flower cluster, or inflorescence
composed of two bracts, opening above water surface. Flowers white, showy, bisexualbisexual:
(adj) having both male and female sexual reproductive structures on one individual or in one flower
, on erect, elongate pedicelpedicel:
(n) the stalk of a single flower in an inflorescence, or of a grass spikelet
or sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
; perianthperianth:
(n) collective term for the calyx and corolla of a flower; also used for floral whorl(s) in which the calyx and corolla cannot be resolved; any of the leaves or bracts surrounding the sex organs of bryophytes
of 6 tepals, long-tubular at base, lobes subequal; stamens 6, with long filaments. Dispersal by seed or occasionally by small bulbils produced from main bulb.

Natural habitat

rivers and streams

Additional comments

Crinum is a large genus containing approximately 100 species worldwide. Only ten species are considered aquatic, while several are associated with wet ground. In the most recent taxonomic investigations of the genus, C. calamistratum is considered as a variety of C. natans and not a separate species.