Crinum pedunculatum

Crinum pedunculatum
Crinum pedunculatum in Cooktown, Australia.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Amaryllidoideae
Tribe: Amaryllideae
Subtribe: Crininae
Genus: Crinum
Species: C. pedunculatum
Binomial name
Crinum pedunculatum
R. Br.
Synonyms

Crinum asiaticum var. pedunculatum (R.Br.) Fosberg & Sachet
Crinum norfolkianum A.Cunn. ex Heward

Crinum pedunculatum[1] also known as the Swamp Lily, River Lily or Mangrove Lily, is a bulbous perennial found in stream and tidal areas of the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales, Australia as well as New Guinea and some Pacific Islands. It is unclear whether it is native or introduced to Norfolk Island.[2]

C. pedunculatum is considered by some sources to be a synonym of Crinum asiaticum var. pedunculatum.[3] The differences between C. asiaticum and C. pedunculatum are subtle. The latter tends to be somewhat smaller, but has broader petals, giving it a less fragile appearance.

It is a very large bulbous perennial plant, up to 2 to 3 metres tall, with a spread of up to 3 metres. It likes either full sun or partial shade. It is usually found on the edge of forests, but also at the high tide level close to mangroves.

The white, fragrant flowers are in a cluster with 10 to 100 flowers on an umbel.

Cultivation and uses

C. pedunculatum makes a beautiful feature plant in a large garden. It prefers a fairly well shaded position. It is a good container plant if kept well-watered. The sap has been used as a treatment for box jellyfish stings.[4]

Propagation

The flowers produce a small bulb, or the larger bulbs in the ground may be transplanted.

References

  1. "Crinum pedunculatum". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  2. "Crinum asiaticum var. pedunculatum". Flora of Australia Online. Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australian Government.
  3. World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2011-05-25, search for "Crinum pedunculatum"
  4. Hyland, B. P. M.; Whiffin, T.; Zich, F. A.; et al. (Dec 2010). "Factsheet – Crinum pedunculatum". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants. Edition 6.1, online version [RFK 6.1]. Cairns, Australia: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), through its Division of Plant Industry; the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research; the Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook University. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 3/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.