A detailed explanation of the differences between the poison bulb (Crinum asiaticum) and the spider lily (Hymenocallis littoralis), teaching you to easily tell these two plants apart
The poison bulb (Crinum asiaticum) and the spider lily (Hymenocallis littoralis) are two very similar plants. If you do not know much about flowers, or have only ever seen one of the two, it is very easy to confuse them. So are the spider lily and the poison bulb really that hard to tell apart? Below, Qinnong Web introduces the differences between the poison bulb and the spider lily.
I. A brief introduction to the spider lily and the poison bulb
The spider lily (Hymenocallis littoralis) is a flower-type ornamental plant. It can be grown indoors in pots and can also be used to landscape courtyards. The spider lily originates from tropical America; after being introduced to southern China it is planted for ornamental purposes. This plant likes a warm, humid and fertile growing environment, is not cold-tolerant, and likes places with plenty of light. The poison bulb (Crinum asiaticum) is also an ornamental flower, but it is not, as people assume, a member of the orchid family; it is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Amaryllidaceae under the order Asparagales. It likes warm, humid, light-filled sandy soil environments. The poison bulb is fairly widely distributed in southern China and is mostly seen on seaside or riverside sandy ground.
II. The differences between the poison bulb and the spider lily
1. Different leaves
The spider lily has multiple leaves, concentrated at the base and growing clasping the stem. The leaf blades are sword-shaped, about 45-75 cm long and 2.5-6 cm wide. They grow oppositely, are dark green in color, and have leaf veins.
The poison bulb has a larger number of leaves, 20-30 of them, 0.9-1.2 m long and 7-12 cm wide. The leaf edges are wavy, and the leaves look limp. The broad, thick, light-green leaf blades grow on the upper part of the plant.
The leaves of the spider lily are stiffer than those of the poison bulb, and the midrib is more noticeably sunken. In terms of number, the poison bulb has more leaves, and its leaves are also longer and broader. The leaves of the spider lily are opposite, while the leaves of the poison bulb look as though they are growing in a circle.
2. Different flowers
The difference in flowers is even more obvious at a glance than that in leaves, and it is also the simplest way for us to tell the two apart.
The style of the spider lily is a deeper green, and its surface looks as if it is coated with a layer of frost; it is also not as green and smooth as the style of the poison bulb.
The petals of the poison bulb are purplish-red in the middle and pink on both sides, and when in full bloom they spread out in all directions, even curving backward. The petals of the spider lily are slender and spread very widely apart, and when in full bloom the tips of the petals turn slightly downward. The biggest difference between the spider lily and the poison bulb is that the flowers of the spider lily have an umbel-like corona, making the distinction obvious.
Besides the difference in flower shape, the number of flowers is also different. Each inflorescence of the poison bulb usually has 10-24 flowers, while the inflorescence of the spider lily usually has 3-8 flowers born at the top of the flower stalk, within 10 flowers. Look carefully, and the two are not hard to tell apart.
The above is Qinnong Web's introduction to the differences between the poison bulb and the spider lily. After reading this article, can you tell these two plants apart? Qinnong Web would also like to add here that both the poison bulb and the spider lily can be used medicinally. Because the spider lily's bulb is toxic, it is mainly the leaves that are used as medicine, while for the poison bulb both the leaves and the roots can be used as medicine. Do not mix them up!