Previous plant

Crinum asiaticum

Next plant

Al plants on this page are from Sri Lanka.


Grown in a dry place, it tend to get more compact.


Strange fruits for a bulb.


Some are even more flooded.


Found this red form in Guatemala - invasive plant.

Author: Carl Linnaeus, 1753
Family:  AMARYLLIDACEAE
Origin:  Andaman Island, Assam, Bangladesh, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Cambodia, China, Christmas Island, Cocos Island, Fiji, Gilbert Island, India, Japan, Java, Korea, Laos, Lesser Sunda Island, Malaya, Maldives, Maluku, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New South Wales; AU, Nicobar Island, Norfolk Island, Northern Territory; AU, Ogasawara-shoto, Philippines, Queensland; AU, Rodrigues, Réunion, Samoa, Seychelles, Solomon Island, South China Sea, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi +  Sumatera; Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vanuatu, Vietnam (Ecuador, Hawaii, Madagascar, Mexico, Guatemala and many more)
Soil:  Rich - Sand - Clay
Water:  Maximum
Sun:  Medium - Maximum
Thickness:  25 Centimetres
Height:  50-100 Centimetres
Flower:  White - Pink
Propagate:  Seeds/Bubs
Names:  Poison Bulb, Giant Crinum Lily, Grand Crinum Lily, Grand Crinum Lily, Spider Lily, St. Johns lily, TYree Crinum
Synonyms:  Bulbine asiatica, Joseph Gaertner, 1788.
Crinum brevifolium
, William Roxburgh, 1824.
Crinum firmifolium
var. hygrophilum, H. Perrier, 1939.
Crinum asiaticum var. japonicum, Baker.
Crinum asiaticum var. pedunculatum,  Fosberg & Sachet
Crinum asiaticum var. sinicum, Baker.

This member of the Amaryllidaceae family was given this name by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It is found in Asia (and brought many places else), growing in a wide range of soil from grit to rice fields. I have found most in swamps, covered half way up in water, although some grow on mountain peaks, quite dry. Some was found in the open sun, others under big trees. The bulb can grow to 25 centimetres in diameter, the entire plant to 50 or even 100 centimetres in height. The flowers are white and can go into purple with age.

The genera is from the Greek krinon, meaning 'lily'. The species name for its origin in Asia.