Hymenocallis

Hymenocallis (US) or (UK) is a genus of flowering plants in the amaryllis family native to the Americas.
Hymenocallis contains more than 60 species of herbaceous bulbous perennials native to the southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Some species are cultivated as ornamentals in warm nations around the globe, and a few have become naturalized in parts of Africa and on various tropical islands. Many of the species from the Caribbean and from the southeastern United States inhabit wet areas such as marshes, streambanks, and seashores. Some species even have floating seeds. Some of the Mexican species, in contrast, grow on grassy slopes in hills and mountains.
The flower stalks arise from basal rosettes of strap-shaped leaves. The terminal clusters of fragrant flowers are green, white or yellow, and can be large and spectacular. The genus name is derived from the Greek words ὑμήν (hymen), meaning "membrane", and καλός (kalos), meaning "beautiful". It refers to the curious shape of the flowers, which consist of six narrow, curved petals attached to a shallow cup that is formed from the fused stamens. The effect is of a spidery daffodil or lily, thus explaining the common name "spider lily".
Taxonomy
The genus Hymenocallis was created by Richard Anthony Salisbury in 1812, when he separated out a number of species formerly placed in Pancratium, starting with Hymenocallis littoralis. The main reason for the separation was that the fruits have only two seeds in each locule. Salisbury explained the name as referring to the "beautiful membrane which connects the filaments."
Species
, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families accepts 65 species:
Hymenocallis acutifolia (Herb. ex Sims) Sweet - Mexico
Hymenocallis araniflora T.M.Howard - Sinaloa, Nayarit
Hymenocallis arenicola Northr. - Bahamas, Greater Antilles
Hymenocallis astrostephana T.M.Howard - Guerrero
Hymenocallis azteciana Traub - Jalisco, Nayarit, Zacatecas
Hymenocallis baumlii Ravenna - Chiapas
Hymenocallis bolivariana Traub - Monagas in Venezuela
Hymenocallis caribaea (L.) Herb. – Caribbean spiderlily - West Indies
Hymenocallis choctawensis Traub – Choctaw spiderlily - Louisiana to Florida Panhandle
Hymenocallis choretis Hemsl. - southern Mexico
Hymenocallis cleo Ravenna - Chiapas
Hymenocallis clivorum Laferr. - Sonora
Hymenocallis concinna Baker - Jalisco
Hymenocallis cordifolia Micheli - Guerrero
Hymenocallis coronaria (Leconte) Kunth – Cahaba lily - South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama
Hymenocallis crassifolia Herb. - South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida
Hymenocallis durangoensis T.M.Howard - Durango
Hymenocallis duvalensis Traub ex Laferr. – Dixie spiderlily - Georgia, Florida
Hymenocallis eucharidifolia Baker - Guerrero, Oaxaca
Hymenocallis fragrans (Salisb.) Salisb. - Jamaica
Hymenocallis franklinensis Ger.L.Sm. – Franklin spiderlily - Florida Panhandle
Hymenocallis gholsonii G.Lom.Sm. & Garland - Florida Panhandle
Hymenocallis glauca (Zucc.) M.Roem. - central + southern Mexico
Hymenocallis godfreyi G.L.Sm. & Darst – Godfrey's spiderlily - Florida Panhandle
Hymenocallis graminifolia Greenm. - Morelos
Hymenocallis guatemalensis Traub - Guatemala
Hymenocallis guerreroensis T.M.Howard - Guerrero
Hymenocallis harrisiana Herb. - central + southern Mexico
Hymenocallis henryae Traub – Henry's spiderlily - Florida Panhandle
Hymenocallis howardii Bauml - western Mexico
Hymenocallis imperialis T.M.Howard - San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo
Hymenocallis incaica Ravenna - Peru
Hymenocallis jaliscensis M.E.Jones - Jalisco, Nayarit
Hymenocallis latifolia (Mill.) M.Roem. – perfumed spiderlily - West Indies, Florida
Hymenocallis leavenworthii (Standl. & Steyerm.) Bauml - Michoacán
Hymenocallis lehmilleri T.M.Howard - Guerrero
Hymenocallis limaensis Traub - Lima Province in Peru
Hymenocallis liriosme (Raf.) Shinners – Texan spiderlily (yellow center) - south-central United States
Hymenocallis littoralis (Jacq.) Salisb. - Mexico, Central America, northern South America
Hymenocallis lobata Klotzsch - Venezuela
Hymenocallis longibracteata Hochr. - Veracruz
Hymenocallis maximilianii T.M.Howard - Guerrero
Hymenocallis multiflora Vargas - Peru
Hymenocallis occidentalis (Leconte) Kunth - southeastern + south-central United States
Hymenocallis ornata (C.D.Bouché) M.Roem. - Guatemala
Hymenocallis ovata (Mill.) M.Roem. - Cuba
Hymenocallis palmeri S.Watson – alligator lily (yellow center) - Florida
Hymenocallis partita Ravenna - Chiapas
Hymenocallis phalangidis Bauml - Nayarit
Hymenocallis pimana Laferr. - Chihuahua, Sonora
Hymenocallis portamonetensis Ravenna - Chiapas
Hymenocallis praticola Britton & P.Wilson - Cuba
Hymenocallis proterantha Bauml - southern Mexico
Hymenocallis pumila Bauml - Jalisco, Colima
Hymenocallis puntagordensis Traub – Punta Gordo spiderlily - southern Florida
Hymenocallis pygmaea Traub - North Carolina, South Carolina
Hymenocallis rotata (Ker Gawl.) Herb. – streambank spiderlily - northern Florida
†Hymenocallis schizostephana Worsley - Brazil but extinct
Hymenocallis sonorensis Standl. - Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit
Hymenocallis speciosa (L.f. ex Salisb.) Salisb. – green-tinge spiderlily - Windward Islands
Hymenocallis tridentata Small - Florida
Hymenocallis tubiflora Salisb. - Trinidad, Venezuela, Guianas, northwestern Brazil
Hymenocallis vasconcelosii García-Mend. - Oaxaca, Puebla
Hymenocallis venezuelensis Traub - Venezuela
Hymenocallis woelfleana T.M.Howard - Durango, Sinaloa, Nayarit
Formerly included
Numerous names have been coined for species once considered members of Hymenocallis but now regarded as better suited to other genera. Most of the species are native to South America. Such genera include Clinanthus, Eucharis, Ismene, Leptochiton and Pancratium. Below are some examples of these species:
Phylogeny
It is closely related to Ismene, to which it shared a common ancestor 26.14 million years ago. It is the sister group to Leptochiton, from which it separated 24.46 million years ago.
Cultivation
Most Hymenocallis must be grown in a warm greenhouse or in a sheltered sunny spot where the ground does not freeze. The North American species H. occidentalis is found as far north as southwestern Indiana where winters can reach . They like good drainage and grow well in a soil rich with organic matter. The following species and hybrids are found in cultivation:-
See also
List of plants known as lily
References
Amaryllidaceae genera
Taxa named by Richard Anthony Salisbury