× Amarcrinum is an intergeneric hybrid genus in the family Amaryllidaceae, arising from artificial crosses between the genera Amaryllis and Crinum. The × prefix in its name signals its nothotaxon status — it does not occur in nature but is a product of deliberate hybridisation. As of 2014, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families treats the name as "unplaced," reflecting ongoing uncertainty about formal taxonomic placement.
The great majority of cultivated hybrids have been produced by crossing Crinum powellii with Amaryllis belladonna, though other species combinations are possible. The resulting plants are robust, bulbous perennials with wide, deep green, tough, strap-shaped leaves reaching up to 60 cm in length. In late summer, stout stems carry loose umbels of 10–15 large, funnel-shaped, sweetly fragrant flowers in shades of pink. The genus combines the characteristic perfume of Amaryllis with the tidy, evergreen growth habit of Crinum.
Two hybrid species have been formally named: × Amarcrinum memoria-corsii (Ragionieri) H.E. Moore, the product of Amaryllis belladonna × Crinum moorei, and × Amarcrinum traubii, a triple hybrid from Amaryllis × parkeri 'Hathor' × Crinum moorei. Neither name is accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Several cultivars are grown as ornamental plants in gardens.
Taxonomy Notes
× Amarcrinum is an intergeneric nothotaxon — a hybrid genus — created by crossing members of Amaryllis with members of Crinum, both in the family Amaryllidaceae. The × prefix denotes this hybrid origin. As of March 2014, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families treats the genus name as "unplaced," and GBIF records no formal authorship or order-level placement for the genus.
Cultivation
All recognised cultivars of × Amarcrinum are grown as ornamental garden plants. The hybrids produce sweetly scented, funnel-shaped pink flowers in loose umbels during late summer on stout stems, and bear wide, strap-shaped, evergreen or semi-evergreen leaves. Flower colour and growth habit vary with the parental species used to make the cross.
