Spider Lily – Flowering plants

Spider Lily (Hymenocallis littoralis) is often grown as an ornamental.  The exotic white flowers have extremely long, hanging petals with a central staminal cup-shaped from the membranes of the staminodes. The name Hymenocallis means “beautiful membrane”.The blossoming time frame is long and at times are so smothered in flowers you can hardly see the foliage. The greatest flush of blossoms happens toward the begin of the rainy season and afterward, the blooms appear to come in flushes coinciding with very wet periods. The spider lily plants are grown best when they are root bound. The bulbs then multiply very fast so if you wish to keep them smaller grow them in smaller pots only.

Scientific Name: Hymenocallis littoralis
Common Name:Spider lily or Beach spider lily.

How to grow and maintain Spider Lily:

Light:
Hymenocallis littoralis requires sunlight to partial shade for proper growth and blooms from mid-summer to late autumn with white flowers.

Soil:
These plants lean toward a standard fertilized soil blended with bark or pumice at a 1:1 ratio. The pH of the soil chosen needs to be between 5.0 and 7.5 for the continued health of the plant.

Temperature:     
Warm 70-85°F, 21-29°C during active growth; minimum winter temperature of 60°/16°C.

Watering:
Spider Lily (Hymenocallis littoralis) demands wet conditions throughout the entire year. The bulbs can be started in nothing except water, but need to be moved to soil once they begin to sprout. Soil should be kept moist, but never soggy. Try not to permit standing water in the saucer underneath.

Fertilizer:   
Feed every 2 weeks in spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted by half.

Propagation:
Division of bulbs. Isolate offsets from the parent bulb in spring and pot them up. Water newly potted bulbs sparingly for the first month or until the point when you see new growth. Overwintering spider lilies indoors will protect this frost-tender plant.