Hi Jim, Hymenocallis riparia (and acutifolia if recognized) are distinguished from most other Mexican spiderlilies by virtue of having tepals fused at their bases to the staminal cup, while H. sonorensis would be have tepals free to the base. Jim Bauml -----Original Message----- From: pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of J.E. Shields Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010 6:25 AM To: Pacific Bulb Society Subject: [pbs] Hymenocallis riparia vs. sonorensis I have various plants labeled Hymenocallis riparia and H. sonorensis. They all came to me from other hobbyists, with no wild provenance, and they all look alike to me. How might one distinguish between the two species, lacking wild collection data? It would be nice to have a pocket sized DNA sequencer in my kitchen! I would still need reference plants of known provenance, of course. Jim Shields in hot and humid Westfield, Indiana USA ************************************************* Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd. P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/ Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA Tel. ++1-317-867-3344 or toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA