Was Crinum, and Crinum Hybrids - Now in the open.

Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com
Thu, 27 Jul 2006 09:22:26 PDT
Well, it had to happen eventually and now it has: the three Jims are finally
in agreement about something! 

Crinum x powellii is indeed the poor relation in the genus. 

When this plant first bloomed here over forty years ago, it was the first
Crinum I had ever actually seen, and it made a big impression. After a few
years I began to notice that my plants were not all alike. Some had better
color, some had better form, some had comparatively narrow tepals. And after
a few seasons I began to begrudge the huge disproportion between floral
effect and foliar expanse. I came to the point of view that in terms of
garden effect they were daylilies on steroids - and I'm not big on daylilies
as a rule. 

In the mid-80s I brought in  a dozen new cultivars of Crinum, and they were
my real introduction to the potential of the genus.  

After all these years Crinum x powellii is still thriving here. It's in
bloom now. 

I don't know the origin of Crinum x powellii 'Album' (i.e. I don't know if
its simply a white-flowered seedling or a sport of a pink-flowered form),
but as I've grown it it's all around better than the pink forms. The flowers
have a fuller, more regular form, and somehow seem more generous and
beautiful than the pink-flowered forms. Great plant....

Jim McKenney
Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where we're definitely having
Crinum weather.   


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