Crinum asiaticum is also known as the Poison bulb, Spider Lily, Giant Crinum Lily, Grand Crinum Lily, Asiatic Poison bulb, Mangrove Lily, or St. John’s Lily. It is a tender bulbous perennial. It is in the Amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. It is native to Indian Ocean Islands, East Asia, Tropical Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. The name is from the Greek word “krinon” which means “lily”. Asiaticum refers to being native to Asia.
Crinum asiaticum can grow to 1m or 3ft approximately. The leaves are lanceolate, long, and strap-shaped. It produces large umbels of flowers with slender petals. The flowers are on top of an erect stem. The flowers are composed of twenty or more spidery looking individual flowers. They are white. Crinum asiaticum flowers are fragrant. They have thin, slender, protruding stamens with red filaments.
Grow Crinum asiaticum in the sun. Plant it in consistently moist, organically-rich but well-drained soil. In very hot summers or climates provide some shade from the strong sun. Crinum asiaticum tolerates poor soil and salt. It is drought-tolerant. And it is rabbit-tolerant and deer-tolerant.
Plant it near ponds and streams. It is generally disease-free and pest-free. Watch out for crickets, slugs. If you notice scorched leaves they might be exposed to too much sun exposure.
Cold winters can kill the leaves of this evergreen plant. It is better to protect the bulbs in cold winter climates. Or plant them in containers that could be moved indoors. The plants can grow to form larger colonies.
Crinum asiaticum can benefit from regular fertilization. It usually takes about 4 years for it to start flowering. Crinum asiaticum is poisonous particularly the bulb.