Spider Lily

What wildflower could be more spiritually suited to our bayou landscapes than the spider lily, Hymenocallis liriosme, with its spider-like appearance and haunting, humid fragrance? A member of the amaryllis family native to the southeastern United States, the spider lily wears sun and shade with equal splendor. Preferring habitats with dark, moist earth, they never lurk too deeply in the shadows, needing more than a little sunlight to thrive. Every April the sweet-scented white wildflowers can be seen dotting the banks of bayous, under the canopy of an old oak, or clustering among bald cypress knees and tall grasses. Dazzling even from a distance, the seductive, trumpet-shaped flowers spider out into six thin ribboning petals, long, white and sultry, lifting golden pollen and a ghostly fragrance skyward.