Invited Research Paper 
91 
have never seen seed develop in rain-lilies when pollination is prevented, and 
Coe (1953) reported that unfertilized ovules degenerate before maturity in Z. 
drummondii. It has been well-known among rain-lily breeders that patience is 
required to obtain hybrids; attempted crosses between polyploid rain-lilies 
generally result in a great many maternal offspring, and few, if any, hybrids. My 
conclusion is that many polyploid rain-lilies are facultative apomicts. 
Sharing ecological requirements would facilitate cross-pollination, but all five 
taxa have their stigmas near the anthers (just below or among the anthers, or 
occasionally exserted a few mm beyond the anthers), which would be conducive 
to self-pollination. The flowers of the different taxa opening at different times of 
the day could mitigate against cross-pollination, but this is countered by the 
flowers remaining open for a few days. With so much time gone by, further 
evolution of this syngameon (Grant, 1957) may have created additional forms 
and narrowed the gaps in Figure 8. 
Southeastern USA 
There are three mesic rain-lilies endemic to southeastern United States (Fig. 9): 
Z. atamasca (L.) Herbert (type species for the genus) (2n=24), Z. treatiae S. 
Watson (2n=24), and Z. simpsonii Chapman (2n=48). All three have linear 
stigmatic lobes, green perianth tubes, and white perianth segments sometimes 
variously flushed externally with pink. They flower flowering mid-winter to late 
spring. Simpson’s rain-lily has the stigma among or near the anthers; the other 
two have greatly exserted stigmas. Mature leaves of Z. atamasca are usually 
notably wider than the scape; those of Z. treatiae and Z. simpsonii are not 
notably wider than the scape. 
Figure 9. Flowers of Zephyranthes endemic to southeastern USA: Z. atamasca 
drawn and Z. treatiae drawn by Melanie Darst, Z. simpsonii drawn by Jean 
Putnam Hancock (Flagg and Smith, Castanea 2008a). 
I joined Carolina Biological Supply Company in October 1962. While there 
was little spare time, I continued my interest in rain-lilies—especially scouting 
those endemic to our southeastern states on trips to and from ASB meetings. At 
one point I thought that I had found a new Zephyranthes species in eastern North 
Carolina (Flagg, 1980). While the plant was similar to Z. simpsonii, there 
