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Dwarf spiderlily

Hymenocallis pygmaea

Also called Pygmy Spiderlily, Waccamaw Spiderlily

Dwarf spiderlily is a small bulb-forming species native to bogs and stream banks in the Carolinas, much smaller than most spiderlilies, with one or two fragrant white flowers per stem. It does best kept consistently moist in a sunny, wet-soil spot.

Family
Amaryllidaceae (Daffodil & onion family)
Grows as
Bulb
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Keep the soil consistently moist, or grow it in standing shallow water or wet bog conditions.
Soil
Moist, acidic, organic-rich soil or boggy mix.
Temperature
Hardy in mild subtropical to temperate climates; protect from hard freeze.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
SE. North Carolina to NE. South Carolina
Climate
subtropical

About

Hymenocallis pygmaea Traub is a plant in the Amaryllidaceae found in the wild only in North Carolina and South Carolina. Common names include dwarf spider-lily and Waccamaw spider-lily, and it is cultivated as an ornamental in some regions.

Hymenocallis pygmaea is a bulb-forming herb found in bogs and along stream banks It is considerably smaller than most other species of Hymenocallis, with a scape rarely more the 40 cm tall. Leaves are up to 40 cm long but rarely more than 30 mm wide. The umbel contains only 1 or 2 flowers, white with a green center and a lemony scent.

Other Hymenocallis plants

Hymenocallis acutifolia · Hymenocallis baumlii · Caribbean spiderlily · Choctaw spiderlily · Hymenocallis clivorum · Shoals spiderlily · Coastal Carolina Spiderlily · Hymenocallis durangoensis · Dixie spiderlily · Hymenocallis eucharidifolia · Franklin spiderlily · Godfrey's spiderlily

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Hymenocallis pygmaea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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