Crinum is a large genus in the Amaryllidaceae family found in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions in Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Americas. Most of the species are summer growers and have large, showy, fragrant flowers. The bulbs are large and long lived. Cameron McMaster has provided interesting information about the South African species in an article he wrote for Farmer's Weekly in 2007. Rachel Saunders and Jim Waddick gave some good advice on how to grow Crinum from seeds. Seeds should be sown in a well-drained mix. Make a small depression in the potting soil and place the seeds in the depression. Do not cover the seeds. It doesn't matter which way you plant them, they will sort themselves out. Seeds will germinate well with warm temperatures, high humidity, and good contact with the soil. Keep the pot constantly moist. Fresh seeds germinate fast and grow to a good size in one year. With routine fertilization, the seedlings will mature quickly and will need to be repotted. Planting the seeds in a large container will reduce the number of repottings. Another resource for this genus is Al Sisk's web page
xAmarcrinum is our wiki page with pictures of hybrids between Amaryllis and Crinum.
Spodoptera picta is a serious pest for this genus in Australia.
Crinum Hybrids is our wiki page with information about hybridizing and a photo table with links to information and photos of hybrids.
For more photos and information about the species select the appropriate wiki page:
or click on the name in the table below: