Bulbs: Crinadonna or Amaricrinum?, 1 by dmj1218

dmj1218 wrote:
I'm having issues identifying one of my favorite plants.

A little history here...these bulbs (3) were obtained from the Houston Bulb and Plant Mart (an excellennt source for unusual, locally grown plants of all kinds) and were very large (I'd say easily large orange fruit-sized) and planted in middle October. Planted in, I think, 2000 or 1999 and I waited until the 3rd year for bloom. Been blooming wonderfully since. Planted in very rich loam built up over 12 years by heavy application of leaf mulch in, now half to better shade.

Now, the Houston Bulb and Plant Mart publishes a paperback book every year with excellent descriptions of lots of the plants sold. The book alone is worth going for and the plants are healthy and unusual sometimes. This is a fund raiser for them, so unless you are buying amaryllis, tulips, or daff's; you're buying plants grown in a member's yard. Now I have no problem there...they are well suited for Houston growing conditions.

The book described these bulbs as, and I quote: "Crinadonna: Cross between Amaryllus belladonna and Crinum. Fragrant white bell shaped flowers. Hardy. Moist soil in bed full of humus. Full Sun. Culture same as fo Crinum. Naturalizes.Partial sun to full sun."

Now, clearly these are not white flowers. Fragrant, yes. Just starting to bloom.

This is the closest I've found in the PlantFiles...but I'm still not sure. I have seen these growing before in two places. One was a very old roller skating rink I used to take my daughter to, plants must have been there for ages--huge stand. Another right out on Gessner in Tealwood 4' from the street (heavy traffic street--4 lanes). So obviously the plant survives neglect...which appeals to me.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/64366/index.html

Any thoughts about this plant?