A Native Texas Treasure
This native lily is also known as the “Texas Spider Lily.” Every April, these spidery white blooms begin to appear in wetland areas across Texas and the Southeastern United States. They make large clumps and showy displays in settings that are often too hostile to other bulbs and plants. The flowers fade as we head into May, but the show is well worth it. They produce multiple softball-size blooms atop strong stalks amid dark green foliage. In pond areas, they look like islands of white color.
Understanding Its Native Needs
The Texas Spider Lily is one-of-a-kind and one of the only natives the Southern Bulb Company readily grows and promotes. As a native, it’s important to understand: natives like to be in specific conditions.
The native habitat for this bulb is an environment that is extremely wet in the spring and dry in the summer. Examples include fields with standing water in spring that dry out in summer, spillways from lakes or ponds, stream banks that are high in spring and low in summer, or bar ditches that collect water off the side of a road.
Appearance
When the Texas Spider Lily blooms, the white “spiders” sit on tall, narrow stems usually about 2 feet tall, though they can reach 3 feet. Blooms appear in April, with white blooms clustering to create softball-size clumps. The Hymenocallis liriosme is distinguished from other varieties by the yellow center deep in the bloom’s center. It has a light sweet fragrance.
A Rich History
In the early to mid-1800s, explorer Jean Louis Berlandier, a Swiss-French botanist, charted the plants of Mexico and present-day Texas. In his journal, he describes his expedition party hiking from San Antonio to Rusk, TX, finding themselves surrounded by knee-high white lilies. Many believe these were the white spidery blooms of Hymenocallis liriosme. Berlandier also wrote of foot-long freshwater prawns from the rivers, taken to markets in San Antonio in wooden wheelbarrows. While those abundant prawns can no longer be found, the botanical displays of these white spider lilies have persisted and can still be enjoyed today.
Uses in the Landscape
Urban examples include detention areas required for commercial construction, natural drainage areas that need native plants and aren’t easily mowed, or areas with clean water requirements that need plants to help filter water before it drains off site. We have them circling the farm ponds at the Southern Bulb Company — in August the ponds are lower and dry around the banks, and the bulbs bloom in standing water in April when the ponds are high.
Resilience and Care
The Texas Spider Lily is a hardy plant that can grow in zones 8–10. This bulb needs to be planted in an area that is extremely wet in the spring and dry in the summer. You will receive small to medium bulbs — plant them as soon as possible in conditions similar to their native environment. We know that means digging in the mud, but you’re doing this for the beautiful stand you’ll have in the future.
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