Crinum asiaticum
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Swamp lily, River lily, Spider lily
Origin: Australia, tropical Asia, South Africa
C. asiaticum can grow into pretty large size. The dark leaves can be 3 foot long and extend upwards from the central stem. A single plant can reach 5 foot tall, which the flowers being held even higher. In time the plants make large clumps of enormous bulbs. The bulb itself is unusual because there is not much to it. From the basal plate the stout leaves make a pseudostem that can reach a foot or more above ground, but this pseudostem is not a bulb.
Variegated forms of C. asiaticum are attractive, especially in winter when their leaves can brighten up your garden. The species can happily bloom year round if protected from cold. If grown in a pot, C. asiaticum does best in a large container, perhaps 20 inches in diameter and 20 inches tall (large plants can fill out an even larger vessel). C. asiaticum can bloom year round if it has good light, adequate water, and is not too cold.
Outdoors, in USDA climate zone 9b C. asiaticum freezes to the ground at about 25 F and can even start growing again during warm periods. In spring when nighttime temperatures stay above 60 F, the plants start to grow rapidly if they have water, and they will bloom in early summer. They keep blooming until November-December.
