Crinum asiaticum

Native to the Indian Ocean region, tropical and subtropical Asia and the southwestern Pacific, this plant is an evergreen bulbous perennial herb reaching about six feet tall. Broad, lance-shaped leaves form a large rosette, with prominent parallel veins and smooth to wavy margins. Long flower stalks carry clusters of ten to fifty white flowers, each with a slender tube and six narrow, spreading segments. The flowers are fragrant at night. Fleshy, irregularly rounded fruits contain a few large seeds. The species grows along sandy shores, coastal forest edges and water margins and is cultivated in tropical gardens. The bulbs are poisonous. Wild populations are classified as Critically Endangered in Singapore. Photographed in Florida.