Southern Swamp Crinum

crinum americanum

The Southern Swamp Crinum, also commonly known as the Florida swamp lily or string lily, is a striking aquatic and semi-aquatic plant native to the southeastern United States. Belonging to the Amaryllis family, this elegant perennial thrives in the rich, muddy soils of freshwater wetlands, where it produces a large, long-lived subterranean bulb. Standing out against the murky, tangled backdrop of swamps and slow-moving rivers, the plant sends up a tall, sturdy stalk crowned with clusters of exquisite, pure-white flowers. These blooms are not only visually captivating with their narrow, arching petals but also emit a heavy, sweet fragrance that wafts through the evening air. As a resilient native species, it provides an essential anchor for wetland ecosystems while offering a breathtaking contrast to the dense, dark greenery of its flooded home.

Lebensraum: Typically found in freshwater swamps, marshes, riverbanks, and wet pine flatwoods of the southeastern United States, often growing in shallow, slow-moving, or standing water.

Aussehen

The Southern Swamp Crinum features long, strap-like, dark green leaves that grow in a rosette pattern directly from its base, often reaching 60 to 120 centimeters in length. From the center emerges a thick, leafless stalk (scape) bearing an umbel of 2 to 6 showy white flowers. Each flower resembles a delicate spider or star, with six very narrow, recurving white petals and prominent, reddish-pink to purplish stamens projecting outward from the center. Its large seeds are irregularly shaped, fleshy, and greenish-brown.

ReichPlantaeStammTracheophytaKlasseLiliopsidaOrdnungAsparagalesFamilieAmaryllidaceaeGattungCrinum

Southern Swamp Crinum

Kategorie

Pflanzen

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Despite being a wetland plant, its massive underground bulb stores so much energy and moisture that it can survive extended periods of drought.

Its bulb can sometimes weigh several pounds and will pull itself deeper into the mud over time using specialized contractile roots.

Like many members of the Amaryllis family, all parts of the Southern Swamp Crinum are highly toxic if ingested, containing a variety of defensive alkaloids.

The distinctive, deeply cut white petals have earned this plant the alternate name 'string lily'.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

It thrives in waterlogged, oxygen-depleted soils where most other plants would drown, thanks to specialized root structures that can survive in anoxic mud.

The plant produces large, buoyant, and corky seeds that float on the water's surface, allowing water currents to distribute them to new wetland locations.

It ramps up its sweet, intoxicating scent as dusk approaches, specifically targeting night-flying moth pollinators that navigate by smell.

Maße und Details

Länge: 60-120 cm
Lebenserwartung: 10-50 Jahre
Gelegegröße: 2-6
Brutzeit: 14-30 Tage

Ernährung und Fütterung

Like most plants, it synthesizes its own food via photosynthesis, utilizing sunlight, water, and atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Hauptnahrung

Sunlight
Water
Soil Nutrients

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

pollinator

Tersa Sphinx Moth

Xylophanes tersa

Pollinated primarily by night-flying sphinx moths drawn to its intense evening fragrance.

eaten by

Eastern Lubber Grasshopper

Romalea microptera

A brightly colored insect that feeds on toxic Amaryllidaceae plants like the Crinum, sequestering the toxins for its own defense.

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Sicherheit

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Noch keine besonderen Sicherheitshinweise.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Wie identifiziert man Southern Swamp Crinum?

Der einfachste Weg, Southern Swamp Crinum zu bestimmen, ist die Verwendung der Naturführer-App Snappit.

Was ist der/die/das länge von Southern Swamp Crinum?

60-120 cm

Was ist der/die/das lebenserwartung von Southern Swamp Crinum?

10-50 Jahre

Was frisst Southern Swamp Crinum?

Like most plants, it synthesizes its own food via photosynthesis, utilizing sunlight, water, and atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Wo findet man Southern Swamp Crinum normalerweise?

Typically found in freshwater swamps, marshes, riverbanks, and wet pine flatwoods of the southeastern United States, often growing in shallow, slow-moving, or standing water.

Was ist der/die/das gelegegröße von Southern Swamp Crinum?

2-6

Was ist der/die/das brutzeit von Southern Swamp Crinum?

14-30 Tage