Hymenocallis occidentalis (hy-men-oh-KAL-is ok-sih-den-TAY-liss ok-sih-den-TAY-liss)
Family: AmaryllidaceaeUnknownHerbaceous
HerbaceousUnknown
Woodland Spiderlily is a native perennial bulb found in mesic soil along slopes, swamps, moist fields and floodplain forests. It is the hardiest of the genus. It can be grown in average, medium to wet garden soil but must not be allowed to dry out. Best naturalized in moist sites as water gardens, ponds or boggy areas. They will grow up to 2.5 feet tall and spread by bulbets to form clumps.Propagation is by division. The large, showy, fragrant flowers are in clusters and up to 7 inches across. They last only a day, but bloom time is July through August. NC Special Concern/Historical. This variety was once native to North Carolina but has been extirpated. It has not been seen in the wild in NC in recent decades. Grow this bulb in a water garden, along a pond, bog or stream. The flowers attract pollinators. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems More information on Hymenocallis .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasional Flooding | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Oblanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Fleshy; Glossy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
5-12 shiny pale green, often glaucous, strap-shaped leaves up to 2 ft long in a basal clump. Arise directly from the bulb. Margins are entire, base tapering, apex subacute to acute. Leaves emerge late winter and may or may not be present when flowering occurs
Flower color
White
Flower value
Fragrant; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Umbel
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
3-6 inches
Flower detail
Fragrant white spider-like flowers up to 7 inches across bloom in clusters from July to August. The center daffodil-like cup has 6 narrow rays that arch outward from it.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Green
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
The fruit is a leathery green capsule with 1-3 green, fleshy seeds from July to September.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
18-22 inch naked 2-edged flowering stem
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
SE and central. U.S.A.
Distribution
AL , AR , GA , IL , IN , KY , LA , MO , MS , NC , OK , SC , TN , TX