Zephyranthes candida
Zephyranthes citrina
autumn rain-lily, autumn zephyrlily, Peruvian swamp-lily
citron rain-lily, citron zephyrlily
blade glossy deep green, to 3 mm wide.
blade dull green, to 4 mm wide.
erect;
perianth white, sometimes pinkish abaxially, subrotate, 3–4.5 cm;
perianth tube green, 0.1–0.4 cm, increasing in diam., less than 1/4 times perianth length, 1/5–1/3 times filament length, ca. 1/10 times spathe length;
tepals not reflexed;
stamens diverging, subequal;
filaments filiform, 1–1.4 cm;
anthers 5–8 mm;
style longer than perianth tube;
stigma capitate, usually among or exserted less than 2 mm beyond anthers;
pedicel (0.4–)1–2.5 cm, usually shorter than spathe.
erect;
perianth lemon yellow, funnelform, 3.1–5 cm;
perianth tube green, 0.7–1 cm, increasing in diam., less than 1/3 perianth length, ca. 1/2 (1/3–3/4) filament length, less than 1/2 spathe length;
tepals rarely reflexed;
stamens diverging, in 2 distinctly subequal sets;
filaments filiform, subequal, 1.2–2 cm;
anthers 5–7 mm;
style longer than perianth tube;
stigma capitate, usually among or below anthers, not exserted more than 1 mm beyond anthers;
pedicel 2.3–4.4 cm, usually longer than spathe.
(1.8–)2–4 cm.
1.6–2.6 cm.
= 38.
= 48.
Zephyranthes candida
Zephyranthes citrina
W. Herbert (1837) suggested that Zephyranthes candida might belong in a segregate genus, and within ten years Rafinesque and M. Roemer each separated it from Zephyranthes. Its leaves are about twice as thick as those of other species in the genus, and they persist through winter frosts and snow, a rare, if not unique, characteristic in Zephyranthes. The stigmatic lobes are not globose, as in Z. chlorosolen, but are somewhat erect and might be described as very abbreviated linear lobes; a careful study of fresh stigmas of “capitate” species is in order. Also, the chromosome complement of Z. candida appears to be anomalous within Zephyranthes. The species has been maintained in Zephyranthes for more than a century, but were Herbert, Rafinesque, and Roemer correct after all?
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
In the original description of Zephyranthes citrina, Baker stated that Messrs. Veitch (Chelsea, England) brought it to him in flower and that they believed it had come to them from Demerara (Guyana). The type specimen is in the Kew Herbarium, where there are also specimens of this species from areas where it clearly is not native: tropical Africa, the Malay Peninsula, and India. It is also found in the West Indies (Cuba) and Central America (Panama). This species has naturalized widely from cultivation, and considerably more work is needed to determine its native distribution.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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