Hymenocallis

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Genus of flowering plants

title: "Hymenocallis" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["hymenocallis", "amaryllidaceae-genera", "taxa-named-by-richard-anthony-salisbury"] description: "Genus of flowering plants" topic_path: "general/hymenocallis" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenocallis" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of flowering plants ::

| fossil_range = Late Oligocene – Recent | name = Spider lily | image = Hymenocallis Caribaea.jpg | image_caption = Hymenocallis caribaea flower | taxon = Hymenocallis | authority = Salisb. |type_species = Hymenocallis littoralis |type_species_authority = (Jacq.) Salisb. | synonyms_ref = | synonyms = *Liriopsis Rchb.

  • Choretis Herb.
  • Nemepiodon Raf.
  • Siphotoma Raf.
  • Tomodon Raf.
  • Troxistemon Raf.

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,

Species

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Texas_Spiderlily_--_Hymenocallis_acutifolia.jpg" caption="Texas spiderlily – ''[[Hymenocallis liriosme]]''"] ::

, Plants of the World Online accepts the following 67 species:

;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.

|label1=Hymenocallideae |1={{clade |1={{clade |1=Hymenocallis [[File:Cahaba Lily.jpg|100px]] |2=Leptochiton [[File:Leptochiton quitoensis 6397 Ismene tenuifolia.jpg|100px]] |2=Ismene [[File:Ismene RH (4).jpg|100px]]

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 0 F. They like good drainage and grow well in a soil rich with organic matter. The following species and hybrids are found in cultivation:-

  • H. amancaes
  • H. caribaea
  • H. harrisiana
  • H. littoralis
  • H. × macrostephana (H. narcissiflora × H. speciosa)
  • H. narcissiflora
  • H. speciosa
  • H. 'Sulphur Queen'

References

References

  1. (2010-01-27). "Genus: ''Hymenocallis'' Salisb.". United States Department of Agriculture.
  2. Salisbury, Richard Anthony. 1812. Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London 1: 338
  3. lectotype designated by N. L. Britton & A. Brown, Ill. Fl. N.U.S. ed. 2. 1: 533 (1913)
  4. [http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40029381 Tropicos, ''Hymenocallis'' Salisb.]
  5. ''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607
  6. Johnson, A.T.. (2019). "Plant Names Simplified : Their Pronunciation Derivation & Meaning". 5M Publishing.
  7. Stevens, P.F.. "Angiosperm Phylogeny Website: Asparagales: Amaryllidoideae".
  8. (2008). "RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants". Dorling Kindersley.
  9. when he separated out a number of species formerly placed in ''[[Pancratium (plant). Salisbury. R.A.. (1812). Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London
  10. (2026). "''Hymenocallis'' Salisb.". Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  11. "Search for 'Hymenocallis'". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  12. Meerow, A. W., Gardner, E. M., & Nakamura, K. (2020). [https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2020.582422/full "Phylogenomics of the Andean tetraploid clade of the American Amaryllidaceae (subfamily Amaryllidoideae): unlocking a polyploid generic radiation abetted by continental geodynamics."] Frontiers in Plant Science, 11, 582422.
  13. "BONAP's North American Plant Atlas". The Biota of North America Program.
  14. "RHS Plant Selector - '''' ''".

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