Crinum ×powellii (swamp lily)

Japanese name: クリヌム パウエリー
Scientific name: Crinum ×powellii

[Overview]
An evergreen perennial 0.9–1.5 m tall, but the parts above ground die back in freezing temperatures.
The bulb is spherical, 10 cm in diameter.
The leaves are basal, strap-shaped, 90–120 cm long and 5–7 cm wide, somewhat fleshy and glossy.
An umbel at the tip of a sturdy, thick flower stalk bears 6–10 flowers.
At the base of the inflorescence there are 2 membranous involucres.
The flowers are about 12 cm across and pale pink; there are 6 tepals, and the lower part forms a slender tube 7 cm long.
The tepals are about 10 cm long and slightly recurved.
There are 6 stamens, with anthers attached in a T shape.
The flowers are fragrant.

[History]
It was created in the 1870s by crossing Crinum bulbispermum and C. moorei, both native to South Africa.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by dividing bulbs.
It can overwinter outdoors in areas without frost.
For flowering, it is said to need exposure to low temperatures of 15 degrees or below for 6 weeks after the pistil forms.
It prefers sunny, well-drained soil, and in pots it needs a large deep pot of size 10 or larger.
For potted plants, from spring to autumn water thoroughly when the soil dries, and keep on the dry side in winter.
For plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Place slow-release fertilizer on the soil in spring and autumn.
Pests and diseases include the crinum army worm (Hamaomoto-yotou) and slugs.

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