CRINUM 



CRINUM 



891 



coolhouse subjects, and a few as hardy border plants. 

 The bulbs are often very large, sometimes as much as 

 2 or 3 feet long, neck and all, the leek-like neck grad- 

 ually tapering from the bulb proper. In some species 

 the bulb is short and onion-like. Fig. 1108 shows forms 

 of crinum bulbs. In some species the flowers are 1 

 foot long and half as broad; and sometimes the leaves 

 reach the length of 6 feet and a width of 5 or 6 inches. 

 The flower-stalk is solid, leafless, usually arising from 

 the side of the bulb-neck. The genus might be roughly 

 divided into the evergreen kinds, mostly with leek-like 

 bulbs and symmetrical star-like straight-tubed usually 

 erect flowers; and the deciduous-leaved kinds, mostly 

 with roundish bulbs and nodding bell-shaped more or 

 less irregular flowers. 



The crinums require so much room that they are not 

 often seen in commercial collections in this country. 

 They are particularly adapted to mild and warm cli- 

 mates, and therefore full notes on such handling of 

 them are given here. They are not much grown in Ameri- 

 can greenhouses. The species cross freely, and many 

 fine hybrids are known, some of them under Latin 

 species-names. 



Hardy crinums. 



The species of Crinum require widely different cul- 

 ture, and their geographical distribution furnishes an 

 important clue as to the degree of warmth required. 

 There are two species hardy in the northern states, C. 

 longifolium and C. Moorei, the latter being less reliable 

 than the former but with finer flowers. These two 

 species differ from others in blooming all summer 

 instead of during a short period, and in the more 

 lasting qualities of their flowers. An interesting hybrid 

 between the two, C. Powellii, is hardier than C. Moorei, 

 and the flower, though better than C. longifolium, is 

 not quite so showy as that of C. Moorei. The hybrid 

 has three well-marked colors, white, rosy and purplish. 

 A single bulb of the white variety has given fifty 

 flowering bulbs in four years. It is excellent for 

 placing in conspicuous positions on terraces or lawns, or 

 in corners where flowers are wanted to combine 

 with architecture or statuary for summer effect. The 

 Agapanthus is frequently grown also for such purposes. 

 Of course large specimens are needed for this use, but 

 they are easily secured and they last from year to year. 

 The bulbs of crinums are mostly grown in Holland and 

 in Florida. The only native species, C. americanum, 

 the "swamp lily of Florida," makes a brilliant and 

 striking spectacle when seen in places far from cultiva- 

 tion, as in the Everglades. 



The most reliable of the hardy crinums in the North 

 is probably C. Powellii. If the bulbs are planted 2% 

 to 3 feet deep (to the bottom of the bulb) in well- 

 drained soil, the plant stands without protection in the 

 neighborhood of New York City. Let them stand 2 to 3 

 feet apart. This crinum makes a very ornamental 

 summer plant, even the strong foliage producing a 

 tropical effect. It produces offsets very freely, but they 

 are deep in the ground. It seems not to produce seed 

 in the North. C. longifolium is also hardy, but is better 

 with a covering in winter; and it is inferior to C. 

 Powellii in leaf and flower. C. Moorei is equally hardy 

 except that the bulbs grow near the surface and are 

 therefore so much exposed as often to be ruined by 

 frost. It is a very desirable summer species. It often 

 seeds in the latitude of New York City; and these 

 fleshy seeds germinate readily if placed on the surface 

 of moist soil. It produces offsets freely, which are 

 used in propagation. It has very strong fleshy roots; 

 and when grown in pots or tubs (which is a desirable 

 practice) it should be given plenty of room. This spe- 

 cies has a long columnar neck with a spreading cap or 

 crown of leaves, and large white or pink flowers. C. 

 variabile (C. capense) is hardy south of the Ohio. There 

 are a number of half-hardy species; and most of the 



57 



greenhouse kinds make very desirable lawn or porch 

 plants when well established in large pots or tubs. 



Tender crinums. 



There are more than fifty species of greenhouse 

 crinums, all of them worth growing because of their 

 handsome flowers; some of them have very ornamental 

 foliage. Most of the species are seldom seen in this 

 country, possibly because they occupy too much space 

 and give a comparatively small number of flowers to 

 recompense the grower for their upkeep. It is not 

 necessary to keep the evergreen species growing all the 

 time after the flowers have been produced. The plants 

 may be put out-of-doors under a lath-house for four 

 or five months. The soil should be of a lasting nature 

 with good drainage so that frequent repotting will not 

 be necessary. When the plants are in a growing state, 

 frequent applications of manure water will be found to 

 be beneficial. In the warmer parts of the country, 



1108. Crinum bulbs as named in the trade. Left to right, 

 C. Moorei, C. giganteum, C. Kirkii, C. Powellii. 



many of the tropical species should be plunged or 

 planted out in the open border, where they often 

 give a satisfactory quantity of flowers. In winter, the 

 plants may be carried over under the bench of a tem- 

 perate house. They should be given water occasionally 

 during April and the first half of May to encourage 

 new roo1>-growth.' When planted out in rich soil, 

 nearly all of them will produce their gorgeous flowers 

 out-of-doors; and during winter they are best treated 

 as dormant bulbs with a little more heat than given 

 such plants as cannas and richardias, planting them 

 out as soon as the weather is favorable. A few of the 

 tropical crinums are grown for their foliage principally, 

 and are often seen in public conservatories and palm- 

 houses where they suffer but little from dense shade. 

 The flowers of most species are exceedingly handsome 

 but only for a comparatively short time; during the 

 remainder of the year when out of bloom there are 

 hosts of things that are much more ornamental. 

 Tropical crinums should be grown in this country 

 nearly altogether for outdoor work; we then get the 

 best out of them because our hot summers are favor- 

 able to their growth and for the production of bloom. 

 Those species not amenable to this treatment do not 

 give results at all in keeping with the space and time 

 devoted to them. (G. W. Oliver.) 



