Graceful Crinum gracile

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About one-and-a-half years ago, I was given a small plant of Crinum gracile which I potted in gritty soil and placed in partial shade. The plant grew steadily, yet slowly even with regular fertilizer application, until I finally noticed a peduncle forming near the base. As with practically all crinums, the inflorescence developed rapidly, and two nights ago, the first two flowers opened, at night.


Crinum gracile is one of only two native representatives of the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae) in the Philippines. It has been found in Nueva Ecija, Rizal, and Laguna provinces in Luzon, and the islands of Mindoro and Mindanao, although there seem to be no existing precise locality records for the latter two islands. It is also found in Sumatra and New Guinea. Compared to the much larger and more robust C. asiaticum which is widespread around beaches, C. gracile appears to be rare and localized plants, at least in the Philippines. As such, it is barely known in cultivation. It may even be such a rare plant anywhere that very little information hovers around, even on the internet. Still, I think that with their small size, these would make neat additions to a vertical rock garden.


As mentioned above, it is a much smaller species than C. asiaticum, and my plant is barely a foot tall with leaves that are around two feet long. For those who like plants with fragrant flowers but with small spaces, this should be on the list. The scape is few-flowered (I counted 6 buds), in keeping with the original description of "flores sex-septem" by the describing author E. Meyer (1830). The blooms are roughly 4 inches across and emanate a soft, lilting fragrance, though you have to come closer to be able to get a hint.


Hopefully, I should be able to reproduce the plant as I am pretty uncomfortable with having just one!


Comments

  1. Andrea28 June 2020 at 17:51

    Now I read it. Thanks, so it is also white. I have C. jagus.

    ReplyDelete

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