About Hymenocallis occidentalis (Leconte) Kunth
Hymenocallis occidentalis (Leconte) Kunth is a plant species native to the southern United States. Its native range extends along the Gulf Coast from South Carolina to Texas, and into the Mississippi Valley as far north as southern Illinois and Indiana. This species is cultivated as an ornamental plant in other regions due to its showy, sweet-scented flowers. Its common names are woodland spider-lily, hammock spider-lily, and northern spider-lily. Most other Hymenocallis species native to the United States grow in wetlands and along streambanks, but H. occidentalis can often be found growing in mesic forests. Some Mexican Hymenocallis species, such as H. clivorum and H. pimana, similarly grow some distance away from waterways. Hymenocallis occidentalis is a bulb-forming perennial herb. It produces an umbel holding 3 to 9 showy flowers; each flower is white with a green center, and flowers open one at a time. Its leaves are lanceolate, reaching up to 60 cm long and 6 cm wide at the widest point. The name Hymenocallis caroliniana has frequently been misused to refer to this species, but this name is actually a synonym of Pancratium maritimum.
