Amaryllidaceae

Hymenocallis Salisb.

First published in Trans. Hort. Soc. London 1: 338 (1812)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Tropical & Subtropical America.

Descriptions

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Vernacular
SPIDER LILIES
Morphology General Habit
Bulbous plants with usually linear or strap-shaped leaves, sometimes contracted below into a petiole
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers pure white (or greenish in some continental species), few or many in an umbel at the apex of a solid, leafless scape, commonly fragrant chiefly at night; pedicels lacking or short
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth with an elongate narrow tube and equal, spreading or recurved narrow lobes; stamens inserted in the throat of the perianth tube, united in their lower part to form a rather conspicuous membranous cup, usually with an entire or bifid process between each pair of filaments; anthers linear.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 3-celled, with 1 or 2 ovules in each cell; style long and filiform with a small capitate stigma
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule fleshy and somewhat irregular, splitting open as the seeds ripen; seeds large, fleshy, green.
Distribution
A tropical American genus of about 30 species, doubtfully separable from the Old World genus Pancratium.
[Cayman]

Sources

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0