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Hymenocallis occidentalis

(Le Conte) Kunth

Woodland Spider-lily

G4Apparently Secure (G4?) Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.158021
Element CodePMLIL150P0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderAsparagales
FamilyAmaryllidaceae
GenusHymenocallis
Other Common Names
Northern Spiderlily (EN) northern spiderlily (EN)
Concept Reference
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvi + 723 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
FNA (vol. 26, 2002) states that "plants of Hymenocallis occidentalis often have been identified as H. caroliniana (Linnaeus) Herbert on herbarium sheets and in floras. However, the latter name is based on Pancratium carolinianum Linnaeus, and its type, as drawn by Catesby, is clearly P. maritimum Linnaeus." (Kartesz 1994, 1999, did not mention P. maritimum which is native to the Canary Islands, Mediterranean to Black Sea coast according to POWO 2026.) In contrast, Kartesz (1994, 1999) recognized H. caroliniana and included H. coronaria and H. occidentalis in it.
Conservation Status
Review Date1991-12-09
Change Date1991-12-09
Edition Date1991-12-09
Edition AuthorsAnnable, C.
Rank Reasons
Wide ranging species but, due to restricted habitat, is not extremely common anywhere in range.
Range Extent Comments
Ranges from GA to AL, N to KY, Southern IN, southern IL, & SE MO (10 Co.) (Steyermark, 1975). NC (1 Co.), SC (2 Co.), GA, FL, AL, MS, TN, KY (Radford, 1968).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Occurs in mucky soil of bald cypress swamps, and swampy woodland in level low ground. often persisting in open fields of cut-over land (Steyermark, 1975). Rare in rocky river shoals and alluvial habitats (Radford, 1968).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesNNR
ProvinceRankNative
AlabamaSNRYes
South CarolinaSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
MississippiSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
FloridaSNRYes
North CarolinaSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
IllinoisSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
IndianaS3Yes
Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Indiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mogan RidgeHoosier National Forest8,435
References (5)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvi + 723 pp.
  2. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  3. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  4. NatureServe. Unpublished. Concept reference for taxa for which no reference which describes the circumscription has been recorded; to be used as a placeholder until such a citation is identified.
  5. Plants of the World Online (POWO). 2026. Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Online. Available: https://powo.science.kew.org/ (accessed 2026).