It has the common name: poison bulb, Asian poison bulb, giant crinum lily, grand crinum lily, and spider lily
I took this photo while on the big island of Hawai’i. It was planted near the condo that my wife and I were staying at. I was mesmerized by the giant petals of its flowers and the large stamens that protruded from the plant. There were close to one hundred of these flowers all in a bunch either actively blooming or getting ready to bloom. The tree crinum is one of 27 species in the Crinum genus, and there’s a lot to learn about this plant.
The tree crinum goes by many names. Its scientific name is Crinum asiaticum. It has the common name: poison bulb, Asian poison bulb, giant crinum lily, grand crinum lily, and spider lily. It is found in tropical locations throughout the world, but is only considered native to the Indian Ocean islands, East Asia, tropical Asia, Australia, and the Pacific islands. It can also be found in Mexico, the Caribbean, Florida and Louisiana in the United States, Suriname, Madagascar, and the Chagos Archipelago.
I decided to take this photo because I was struck by the hyperbole of this plant’s features. It grows to be about 4 feet tall. Its leafy base contains 20-30 pointed, dark, green leaves that are about three feet long and about four inches wide. The inflorescence—which is a cluster of flowers on a stem that can be made of one branch or a system of branches—consists of 10-24 flowers.
The flowers of the tree crinum have a striking description. Before they bloom, they are surrounded by a spathe—a large bract, which is a modified leaf, that forms a sheath which encloses the flower—that is about three inches long. The corolla, which is the collection of petals, starts out as a three-to-four-inch tube until the flower blooms. Once it has bloomed, it has six long, white, skinny petals. These are adorned with the six red to pink colored stamens that are similarly long and skinny. The anther, or top part of the stamen, is a dark red with the yellow of the pollen.
If you are enraptured by the beauty of the tree crinum and want to feast on it, don’t! All parts of this plant are toxic. The bulb is especially toxic. There are various alkaloids within the plant, including: lycorine, crinamine, and tazettine. If consumed, it can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, sever diarrhea, constipation, irregular breathing, rapid pulse, fever, nervous system paralysis, and death. Despite these toxic effects, it has been used medicinally to treat: osteodynia, rheumatism, contusions, sprains, fractures, and more.
All parts of the tree crinum are toxic
Did you know?
- Furthering the reasons not to mess with this plant, handling it may cause skin irritation.
- The plant will bloom throughout the year, and although most flowers are white, some will blossom as pink, rose, or magenta.
- Bees, butterflies, and birds will feed on tree crinum.
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