The Ancient Crinum Lily Inhabiting The Island Of St. Simon, And Sea Island, Ga.

William Bartram, a notable, early American botanist,When these stems are cut off and replanted in the
extensively explored the Island of St. Simons insoil, they will root easily and quickly will develop to form
Georgia; describing vividly the landscape, animals andanother bulb at the base with roots about the diameter
plants in the area, along with his personal encountersof fingers that extend out from the bulb, like spokes on
with islanders, and in most cases, their generous offersa bicycle wheel. A large Crinum will eventually form
of food, shelter and conversation and hospitality to himsmall offset bulbs that can be removed from the
in March of the year 1774.parent bulb for increasing the numbers in a planting.
Near present day Fort Frederica, beautifully describedOccasionally, the bulb will divide itself into two, large
by Bartram, as near a "venerable grove of live oaks,equal sized plants. The Crinum is very easy to
under whose spreading boughs opened a spacioustransplant in any kind of soil and hardly ever shows
avenue leading to the former seat (Headquarters) ofany dramatic or stunting shock after replanting.
General Oglethorpe, but now near the property ofSome modern botanists feel that although William
Capt. Raimond Demere" (the ancestor of manyBartram's original name of 'Lilium superbum' is not
descendants still living on the Georgia Islands). Afteracceptable to replace with, Crinum asiaticum, that the
leaving this town he went 5 miles to south St. Simonsname, Crinum asiaticum may not be acceptable either,
where; "the lively breezes were perfumed by thebecause the habitat and the colonization of this lily was
fragrant breath of the superb Crinum, called by thefirmly established into mature colonies along the coast
inhabitants, 'white lily'...the delicate structure of its spadixof the Eastern U.S. in the month of March during the
(flower), for its broad green leaves and the textureyear, 1774, when Bartram discovered and described it
and whiteness of its flowers at once charmed me".as growing there in a pure and naturalized state. It
In William Bartrams book, Travels, he had discoveredseems impossible that Crinum asiaticum could have
the Crinum asiaticum that he named "Lilium superbum"migrated to the Eastern coast of the United States,
and wrote that it represented pride and vanity, aexcept by seed, which understandably can float in salt
puzzling statement. This population of Crinum haswater and germinate later, after it has been washed
greatly multiplied after two centuries and is cultivatedashore. This remote possibility of seed floating from
on an extensive scale throughout St. Simons Island andthe Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic to the Eastern
nearby at the Cloister Hotel on Sea Island, the famousseaboard does not seem likely, since seed could only
tourist, five- star resort, where all Presidents of themigrate through the southern limits of Brazil and
United States since Calvin Coolidge and many Kings,Argentina at the bottom of South America - against
Queens and Heads of State have visited andstrong trans-ocean currents and in water so cold that
vacationed. Giant clumps of these 6 foot tall lilies canthe seed would not survive exposure of the frigid
be viewed publicly at the old slave cabins at the edgetemperatures through the Drake Passage near Cape
of St. Simon's present day airport. The lily, CrinumHorn, Argentina.
asiaticum, produces giant clusters of fragrant whiteThere is an early botanical historical description of
flowers on sturdy stems up to six feet tall, and theCrinum americanum, a lily that is reported to be native
plant can bloom any month of the year, but mostto the Eastern U.S., however, this Crinum does not fit
prolifically during late spring and early summer. Afterthe William Bartram description of "broad" leaves, since
blooming the flowers can produce giant green seeds,Crinum americanum has very narrow leaves and
the size of a quarter that can be planted on top of theCrinum asiaticum has very "broad" leaves. Additionally,
soil immediately while green to produce small bulbs thatBartram observed that the Crinum, 'Lilium superbum',
eventually develop into large plants. These lilies areproduced: the "fragrant breath of the superb
evergreen in zones 8-11, but usually will re-sprout fromCrinum....and whiteness of flowers at once charmed
the bulbs after killing freezes that are oftenme". He recorded these Crinum flowers as blooming
experienced in zone 7.during the month of March of the year, l774, which
These Crinum plants develop into small tree- likecould only be the flowers of Crinum asiaticum, since
umbrellas in Hawaii, with trunks up to 8 ft. tall topped byCrinum americium only blooms in late summer and
a rosette of 6 inch wide leaves spectacularly perchedduring the fall - and never in the month of March.
at the top of the stump. In the U.S. these lilies do notThese facts prove that the description of the lily as
often exceed 6 ft in height, however, the stem of thedescribed by William Bartram was Crinum asiaticum.
Crinum asiaticum can be as big around as a large leg.