Bolhalia 11, 1 & 2: 27-52 (1973) The Genus Crinum in Southern Africa I. C. VERDOORN* ABSTRACT The 21 species of Crinum recognized in southern Africa are reviewed and illustrated, mostly in colour. Five of these were described by the author during the last two decades. A key to the species and notes on the history, diagnostic features and distribution in southern Africa are provided. INTRODUCTION subsequent authors in Codonocrinum but the one, C Linnaeus described four species of Crinum in his campanulatum, has the lobes forming a distinct cup Species Plantarum. 1753, and the following year the and the stamens not declinate, and C. moorei has sub­ genus was defined in the 5th edition of his Genera spreading lobes and declinate stamens. Because of the Plantarum. The four species listed were C. latifolium, occasional odd forms found in this genus it seems C. asiaticum, C. americanum and C. africanum. Be­ advisable not to attempt any subdivisions. cause C. latifolium is the first in the list, Uphof (1942) Baker is also responsible for the revision of the genus considers it to be the type species. But Hitchcock & Crinum in the Flora Capensis (1896) and Flora of Green proposed C. americanum as the lectotype. in the Tropical Africa (1898). In South Africa only 8 species International Rules of Botanical Nomenclature, p. were recognised at the time and in tropical Africa 38. 140. 1935, and Traub (1963) follows them. Linnaeus In a most helpful article Uphof (1942) sums up the described Crinum americanum in his Hortus Cliffor- maJor and minor works on the genus and lists all the tianus in 1737 and this supports the choice made by species described to that date. 130 in all, classifying Hitchcock and Green. them, where possible, under Baker's subgenera, with Of these four species described by Linnaeus, three 15 unclassified species. Recent contributors to our belong to the genus as defined today, but C. africanum knowledge of the genus are H. P. Traub and L. S. is now classified as Agapanthus. Hannibal, members of the Amaryllis Society of For many years after the establishment of Crinum of America. An example of the work of each of we find members of this genus being described among them is listed under the references Traub (1963) the assortment of Amaryllids under the name Amaryl­ and Hannibal (1967). In South Africa a cytological lis. In 1837 appeared the interesting and useful publi­ study published by Van der Walt, Geerthsen and Rob- cation “Amaryllidaceae” by W. Herbert. He defined bertse (1970), is of particular value because the mater­ the genus Crinum satisfactorily and described 46 spec­ ial worked with was identified at this Institute (Botani­ ies and a number of varieties. These included several cal Research Institute). There have been some name which had originally been described as species of changes since the paper was prepared but it is known Amaryllis. In addition to his descriptive or taxonomic to which species the names refer. For instance “C. work, The Honourable and Reverend William Herbert, forbesii” is the recently described C. paludosum and Dean of Manchester, kinsman of the Earl of Car­ the “new species” has been described as C. foetidum. narvon, cultivated Amaryllids in his famous garden at Spofforth and experimented with hybridization. DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES Fifty-one years later, in 1888, Baker's “ Handbook The most striking feature about all species of Cri­ of the Amaryllidaceae” appeared. J. G. Baker recog­ num, except C. moorei, growing in nature or cultivated nised 79 species and divided them into three subgenera. in the open in South Africa is that leaves more than It is interesting to note that the two Linnaean species one year old have lost their tips by a clean cut. This is which have claim to being the type species, C. latifo­ because the leaves die back to the base in the winter lium and C. americanum, fall into different subgenera with the result that in spring the previous seasons as defined by Baker: C. latifolium in the subgenus leaves grow out again with truncate tips, while only a Codonocrinum, defined as “perianth funnel-shaped, few leaves in the centre are new' and have their apices tube permanently curved; stamens and style conti­ intact. This is not the case in C. moorei where all the guous, declinate”, and C. americanum in the subgenus leaves in a season are intact and the many leaf-scars Platyaster with “perianth erect hypocrateriform, seg­ on the false stems show no sign of growing out for a ments lanceolate; stamens spreading” . The third second year. In this connection it is illuminating to subgenus is Stenaster “ perianth erect hypocrateriform. read Hannibal’s observations (1967) which in effect segments linear; stamens spreading” . If species are state that the leaves of Crinum species from semi-arid grouped according to these divisions, one finds an areas are slow growing and take three years to reach assortment of forms in each group, that is, while spe­ maturity whereas the leaves of C. moorei from “hea­ cies agree in the diagnostic features, they may differ vier rainfall areas with dry seasons” mature in one considerably in other respects. In addition, there are year. The leaves of all Crinums are rosulate or rarely species which do not exactly fit into the definition of distichous (but not biflabellate), and definitely sheath­ any of the three subgenera. For instance C. campanu- ing at the base. They vary in colour, width, ciliation latum and C. moorei are both listed by Baker and and texture. The solid scapes are short or long and •Botanical Research Institute, Department of Agricultural naked except for two terminal spathe-valves. The um­ Technical Services, Private Bag X101 Pretoria. bels bear from 1 to 40 flowers which may be subsessile 28 THE GENUS CRINUM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA or pedicellate and the fruit in some species is beaked distribution of the species may be much wider than our by the persistent base of the perianth-tube. The length present records show. In the notes under some species a of the tube, the form in which the segments are ar­ possible relationship with an extra South African spe­ ranged and whether they are keeled with red or not, cies is mentioned. However it is my hope that a future are of specific significance and possibly to a lesser ex­ reviewer will resist the modern tendency to make dras­ tent, the length of the peaked apices of the segments. tic hanges at the generic level. It is conceivable that This peak is formed by the true apex being introrse and each reviewer will in turn redefine sections of this genus forming a peak like a dunce’s cap. This false apex or and possibly include its three related African genera, peak may be short and blunt in some species or long Amaryllis, Ammocharis and Stenolirion in the rearran­ and pointed in others. Another interesting feature is gement. It has not been possible to place all our species the way the flowers fade. In some species they turn in the subgeneric divisions that exist because of inter­ brown and in others red. The tunicated bulbs are mediates and anomalies. It seems wiser therefore to usually large and they either narrow gradually toward draw attention to the distinctions but not to erect the apex or abruptly into a short or long neck. In watertight compartments for them. some cases the neck, formed by the sheathing bases of the leaves, elongates into a short, up to 60 cm long, REFERENCES leafy stem-like structure, and in one species, C. moorei, Baker, J. G ., 1888. Bak. Handb. AmarylL London: George this structure grows quite tall and the leaf-bases harden Bell & Sons. and thicken forming a false stem leafy only in the Baker, J. G ., 1896. Amaryllidaceae. FI. Cap. 6: 171-246. upper portion. This species is also unique in South Baker, J. G ., 1898. Amaryllidaceae. FI. Trop. Afr. 7: 376-413. H a n nibal, L. S., 1967. Evolution of Crinum. Paper presented Africa in having ensiform leaves that do not grow out at the Rhodesian Scientific Congress May, 1967. Not yet for a second year and they have an indication of a published? midrib. In all Crinums the seed-coats of the large, H erbert, W., 1837. Herb. Amaryll. London: James Ridgeway more or less globose seeds are impervious to water & Sons. Isaac & M cG illivray, 1965. A Note on the Water-storing and an analyses of the seed by Isaac and McGil- Seeds of Two Species of Crinum and of Some Other S.A. livray (1965) has shown that the water content is Amaryllidaceae. Ann. Bot. n.s. 29:739. very high. This accounts for a peculiarity of the T r a u b, H. P., 1963. The Genera o f Amaryllidaceae. California: genus, namely that the seeds germinate readily with­ The American Plant Life Society. U phof, J. C. T., 1942. A Review of the Species of Crinum. out water and in the driest conditions. It also supports Herbertia 9: 63-84. the claim (Hannibal, 1967) that the seeds are dis­ V an der W alt, E. L., G eerthsen, J. M. P. & R obbertse, P. J., persed by water. The seed coats are usually smooth 1970. ’n Sitogenetiese Studie van die genus Crinum Linn, in and only in one species, C. foelidum, have they been Suid-Afrika. Agroplantae 2: 7-14. found to be papillate. A feature observed by Herbert (1837) is that the ovary, which is situated between the CRINUM pedicel and the perianth tube is “thickest in the mid­ dle”.