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Marcelle's Crinums
Sales and Notes from Marcelle Sheppard
Crinum bulbispermum
Crinum bulbispermum is apparently the most durable and widely-grown Crinum in the United States. Mature bulbs of this species and its hybrids seem hardy well into USDA climate zone 7 if mulched and provided with adequate water, and reports from members of the Pacific Bulb Society suggest that it can survive into zone 5 with extra care (perhaps deep planting or in a specially protected site). C. bulbispermum is from South Africa (and perhaps Lesotho), and has become naturalized in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas according to the online version of the Flora of North America and the USDA Plants Database, and more than likely it is also naturalized in Georgia. In Texas, C. bulbispermum (or similar-appearing hybrids) has been observed growing in gleeful abandon in roadside ditches and agricultural fields more than 100 miles inland. Some of these plants offset easily, whereas others apparently only reproduce via seed. It has been reported (anecdotally) the true species does not form offsets. C. bulbispermum can be found wild in South Africa on the Highveld and nearby areas. It is found on deep soils, especially those that are annually inundated but alternately dry (replete with scorching temperatures). Thus, C. bulbispermum is a riverine and streamside plant, as well as a plant of seasonal wetlands. C. bulbispermum does not need wetlands to perform well in the garden; it is easily cultivated if provided with flowerbed-like conditions, adequate water in the growing season, and protection from extreme cold. The distinctive blue-green (or gray-green) foliage and long tapered leaves make this an easy plant to recognize. The leaves arch upwards but are elongate and taper to a point; they leaves can swirl and cascade about the plant as they tumble to the ground. Flower color varies from pure white, to pink and rose, to burgundy-red, to white with pink keels. Some drab-colored flowers (almost tan) can be found in naturalized settings, and these may be of mixed heritage. Flowers are reportedly fragrant, but this seems to vary with the clone and the observer.
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