1 Primitive Crinum

I: Subgenus Crinum with linear-tepaled, sessile blossoms: Ex. Baker's Stenaster subgenus, now subgenus Crinum per the Botanical Code.

Figure 1 Fig. 1: Crinum mauritianum Lodd. A native to Madagascar. Only a few collectors have this species which was photographed by Mrs. D. C. Sheppard. The species is sometimes confused with C. firmifolium due to past publication errors.
Figure 2 Fig. 2: Crinum hildebrandth. This Crinum was identified as a sessiled flowered C. crassicaule by Gordon McNeil, but it apppears to be a form of Crinum hildebrandth common to Madagascar and north costal KwaZula (Natal). It desires a humid location. The tepals are near 8 mm. wide and the subsessile pedicels up to 2-3 cm. long.
Figure 3 Fig. 3: C. crassicaule? One of the few sessile flowered Crinum found in the KwaZulu area. The identity is currently open to question, but appears to be C. crassicaule. The tepals are 8mm. wide while the immature buds and tepal tubes are a reddish-purple.
Figure 4 Fig. 4: Crinum defixum Ker-Gawler. This plant was originally identified as C. asiaticum by Linnaeus in his 1753 Species plantarum, but Ker-Gawler recognized the Radix toxicara Rumph since it was cited erroneously in Linnaeus' second edition of Species plantarum II as a C. asiaticum variant. He then rather subtly renamed the original Linnaean specimen C. defixum without giving credit to Linnaeus. The C. defixum is native to the east coast of India, and was correctly identified by William Roxburgh as Linnaeus' original type form.
Figure 5 Fig. 5: Crinum firmifolium, tentative identification. The bulb was received from Madagascar by Greg Pettit in Kwazulu (ex Natal). The blossoms (4 to 6) are sessile while the tepals are ensiform. Its features suggest an adaptation to a windy location.