These flowers are aptly named: Spider Lily or Beach Spider Lily
Found so many blooming on Isla, in July when I was there.
The very large patches of them, on the path along the seaside on Punta Sur were gorgeous.
Even better, was the scent in the air...
wish it were possible to capture that with the photos-
Seems it's actually a perennial herb...I wonder if it has any uses then? other than just being lovely!
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Hymenocallis littoralis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hymenocallis littoralis | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Hymenocallis littoralis | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| clade: | Angiosperms |
| clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Amaryllidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Amaryllidoideae |
| Genus: | Hymenocallis |
| Species: | H. littoralis |
| Binomial name | |
| Hymenocallis
littoralis (L.f. ex Salisb.) Salisb. |
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Hymenocallis littoralis is a bulbous perennial herb. It ranges in height from 60-70cm (36 inches). It requires sunlight to partial shade for proper growth and blooms from mid-summer to late autumn with white flowers. It may be grown aquatically.[1]
Hymenocallis littoralis is native to coastal regions of southern Mexico and Central America, and also two wild populations are reported to have been found along the west coast of Florida. The tepals are adnate (attached to) the staminal cup. Each flower's tube is 14 to 17 cm (5 to 7 inches) long or longer.
The plant bulb is 7-10 cm (3-4 inches) in diameter. With age, the bulb develops a neck that reaches 4-5 cm in diameter (up to 2 inches). The flowers are large, white, vanilla scented, and sessile.
4 comments:
Wow! Those are gorgeous! I've never seen them in that big of a patch on Isla, but most trips we don't spend that much time on the south end. I've noticed them blooming on Playa Norte the past few trips.
Yes, I was also surprised to see so many, and actually the scent of them, much before I got closer, kind of blew me away! Had seen a few clumps on North Beach, & even along the Eastern side where some swim by the federal land beach, but the biggest patches were pretty near the south end on the oceanside pathway.
They are so exotic looking...almost supernatural in a strange way.
They seem to be very hardy. I have two planted in my back yard that have lived for years...I do nothing for them except uncover them occasionally...after the mama turtles fling sand & rocks on them...and they just keep blooming. They are near some of those bushes that foreigners call 'sea lavender' which have a wonderfully strong scent sometimes. When I asked a local friend what she called them, she replied "Orquides"..orchids. Nice pics and info! Mango is a short walk from our house & has lotsa loyal diners who consider it an important part of their Isla visit. We've loved everything we've eaten at Lola V's.
Thanks went coastal...nice to get your comment. I saw some of these plants down by the turtle beach also, so they do seem to be all over...Good to know they're so hardy, and maybe they even multiply? I'd like to know more about the local flora/fauna...
With Mango Cafe, hope it will continue, even if Polo does go back to Oaxaca, which we've heard...his family has a ranch there.
I love your blog & news reporting by the way...totally professional and a great service. I check often.
-k
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