Splendid Pancratium

Family Amaryllidaceae. The native range of Pancratium is the Antilles; it is also abundant along the banks of the Nile, which is why it is also called the Nile lily.

The flowers are extraordinarily graceful and original, fragrant, invariably white, borne in loose inflorescences of 10. In their structure they resemble a narcissus: a wide cylindrical corona is surrounded by a ring of six long, narrow, ribbon-like and reflexed perianth segments (tepals). The pistil is slender, 12–15 cm long. When a bud opens, it splits with a slight crack and the petals quickly, like springs, snap outward. They unfold and within 2–3 minutes the flower is fully open.

Flowering occurs in autumn or early winter and lasts for 2–3 weeks. The flowering period of a single flower is 5 days. 3–6 flowers open at the same time. By regulating the onset of the dormancy period, flowering can be induced at other times.

Leaves are linear or strap-shaped, often channeled, evergreen, forming a basal rosette. They should not be cut.

It is propagated by offsets removed from the parent plants during repotting. Such plants flower in the 3rd–4th year. Propagation by seed is also possible — for this, artificial pollination of the flowers is used. Seeds ripen in 2–3 months. They are sown immediately under glass. Seedlings begin to flower in the 5th–6th year.

Indoor Pancratium prefers a light, nutritious soil mix composed of clayey-sod and leaf soil, humus, peat and sand (1:1:1:1/2). A good drainage layer is placed on the bottom of the pot. The bulb is planted in a pot 12 cm in diameter, not completely buried, but so that one-quarter of it remains above the soil level. After repotting the soil should not be overmoistened, as young plants do not tolerate dampness. The plant is kept in a well-lit place (for example, on a windowsill), but not in direct sunlight. In summer, when Pancratium undergoes a 2–3 month dormancy, the plant is watered moderately. If the plant is not given a dormancy period followed by good light and ample watering, it will not bloom. In winter, during the flowering period, Pancratium is kept in a warm room at an air temperature not lower than 13°C and is watered regularly and abundantly.

Pancratium is repotted every 2–3 years, taking care not to damage the roots.