# 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. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 4 - **Habitat:** 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. ![Southern Swamp Crinum](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/343791168/medium.jpeg) Photo: Brandon Johnson, CC BY 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/343791168) ## Appearance 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. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Liliopsida - **Order:** Asparagales - **Family:** Amaryllidaceae - **Genus:** Crinum ## Interesting facts - 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'. ## Special abilities - **Anoxic Root Tolerance:** It thrives in waterlogged, oxygen-depleted soils where most other plants would drown, thanks to specialized root structures that can survive in anoxic mud. - **Hydrochorous Dispersal:** 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. - **Evening Fragrance Escalation:** It ramps up its sweet, intoxicating scent as dusk approaches, specifically targeting night-flying moth pollinators that navigate by smell. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 60-120 cm - **Lifespan:** 10-50 years - **Clutch Size:** 2-6 - **Incubation:** 14-30 days ## Diet & Feeding Like most plants, it synthesizes its own food via photosynthesis, utilizing sunlight, water, and atmospheric carbon dioxide. - **Primary Foods:** Sunlight, Water, Soil Nutrients ## Ecological connections - **Pollinator:** Tersa Sphinx Moth (*Xylophanes tersa*) — Pollinated primarily by night-flying sphinx moths drawn to its intense evening fragrance. - **Eaten by:** [Eastern Lubber Grasshopper](https://www.snappit.app/explore/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. ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Southern Swamp Crinum? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Southern Swamp Crinum? 60-120 cm ### How long does Southern Swamp Crinum live? 10-50 years ### What does Southern Swamp Crinum eat? Like most plants, it synthesizes its own food via photosynthesis, utilizing sunlight, water, and atmospheric carbon dioxide. ### Where is Southern Swamp Crinum usually found? 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. ### How many eggs does Southern Swamp Crinum lay? 2-6 ### How long do Southern Swamp Crinum eggs take to hatch? 14-30 days ## Where to spot - [Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/corkscrew-swamp-sanctuary) — Florida, US · Nature Reserve - [Flamingo Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/flamingo-gardens) — Florida, US · Botanical Garden ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Southern Swamp Crinum: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/southern-swamp-crinum)