Crinum augustum

Marcelle Sheppard reports that C. augustum blooms in the winter (in a greenhouse) and that the large cluster of flowers needs staking.  Additionally, Marcelle reports that the blooms are wonderfully fragrant. 

A bit closer to the coast of Texas where frosts seldom occur, C. augustum flowers from November through February, and sometimes sporadically in the spring or summer.  The huge blooms are typically white with pink (or pale-magenta) stripes.  In nearly frost-free areas the plants can make a very large clump in a few years. 

C. augustum has been called ‘Queen Emma’ or ‘Queen Emma’s Lily’, though it is not clear if ‘Queen Emma’ is in fact a form of C. augustum.  Additionally, it has been proposed that C. augustum may be a naturally-occurring hybrid of C. zeylanicum and some other species.  As with C. amabile, confusion is abundant in the printed literature as well as the WWW, and many plants seem to be mistakenly described as C. augustum. 

For Marcelle Sheppard, C. augustum is as seen in the photos on this page.  C. augustum is different and distinct from C. amabile (which also seems to have been called ‘Queen Emma’s Lily’).