Spider lily, Giant crinum lily, Monsoon lily
Crinum asiaticum

Family: Amaryllidaceae

What it is like

A bulb plant. It grows 1.2 m tall. The leaves are dark green and strap like. They are 1 m long and 10 cm wide. The flowers are tube shaped and white. They are in clusters on thick succulent stems. The stamens are purple.

It is used in medicine.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It suits light sandy soils. It must be grown in a sunny position. It grows in wetlands. It suits hardiness zones 7-10. In XTBG Yunnan. At MARDI.

Countries/locations it is found in

American Samoa, Andamans, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Cambodia, China, Christmas Island, Chuuk, FSM, Fiji, Guam, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Myanmar, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Palau, Philippines, Samoa, SE Asia, Slovenia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tuvalu, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Indies, West Timor

How it is used for food

The leaves are boiled and eaten. (The bulb is recorded as eaten in Orisha India) Caution: The bulb is poisonous.

Edible parts

Leaves, caution

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds, the bulb or small bulblets.

Its other names

Local names

Arsa, Asimbo, azijska Kljukasta lilija, Baking putih, Kep-tum, Kieb, Kyan-gyi, Krinum lili, Lau talotalo, Nagadamani, Pulattali, Sudarshan, Talotalo, Te kiebu, Vahondrahona, Visamimgil

Synonyms

Amaryllis camosa Hook.f.; Bulbine asiatica (L.) Gaertn.; and many others