Crinum zeylanicum (L.) L.
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Authority
Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.
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Family
Amaryllidaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Perennial herb, with a bulbous base; bulb ovoid to subglobose, 9-13 x 5-11 cm, the neck short; roots stout, coarse, 3-5 mm wide. Leaves many; blades 80-125 x 2.8-5.5 cm, strap-shaped, reflexed, finely veined, septate, acuminate to apex, the margins with remote, minute, blunt teeth. Scape 25-50 cm long, glabrous, reddish-tinged; spathelike bracts deltate, membranous, 6-7 x 2-3 cm. Flowers 5-10, subsessile or short-petiolate; perianth segments oblong-lanceolate, 8-12 x 2-3 cm, white with a pink or reddish median stripe, the tube curved at maturity, 8-13 cm long, 3-4 mm wide; anthers 1-2 cm long, greenish, the filaments 6.5-8 cm long, whitish or pink; style 15-20 cm long. Fruit not seen.
Distribution and Ecology - Occasional along roadsides or in disturbed secondary vegetation. Road to Ajax Peak (A5112). Also on St. Thomas; native of India and Sri Lanka, cultivated in tropical regions but frequently escaping and becoming naturalized.
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Discussion
Common name: spider lily.