Lilies are one of the most common and easiest to care for flowers out there, they also form parts of bouquets and decorative centers. Although it is common to generalize about it, there are many types of lilies, there are about 110 species.
Sea lilies are one of the types of lilies that we can find; it is a beautiful flower, usually white, large and very striking.
If you want to discover everything about sea lilies, what they are like, their care and cultivation, then keep reading this article where we are going to teach you everything about sea lilies.
What are sea lilies like?
Sea lilies, or also commonly called sea nard, sea lily, sea hyacinth or pan ration, is a plant of the Amarilidaceae family and one of the more than 100 species of lilies that exists. The sea lily is an herbaceous and bulbous plant, whose leaves is erect and protrudes from the ground in the form of a dense bouquet. These leaves reach between 5 and 20 mm wide and their color is bluish green.
Its bulb is elongated and whitish in color, whose multiple layers are membranous. The roots are about 80 cm deep below the surface.
The flowers are of the pediculate type, they are large and very striking, white in color and very similar to those of daffodils. They are very aromatic flowers and are large, even reaching 15 cm in length. The flower has six lance late teals; open on the periphery and also with a greenish dorsal nerve whose origin is in the umbel.
The corolla of the sea lily is trumpet-shaped, white, with twelve triangular teeth. It has six stamens, which are also whitish, but whose anthers are yellow and shaped like a kidney.
The ovary of the sea lily is trilocular and protrudes from the patois calyx of two deciduous bracts. It also has fruits. The fruit of the sea lily is a large capsule with an ovoid shape, inside we find black, shiny, angular and sub-triangular seeds. They are axially placentae and are stacked in the locales, of which there are three.
This plant is very toxic, since it contains cardio tonic heterosides, so it should be avoided ingesting them.
Bloom
The flowering season of the sea lilies is in the months of June, July, August and part of September, time in which most of the plants have already exceeded their flowering period.
Habitat
Sea lilies grow in the maritime sandbanks and in the dune systems of the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. Being in the sun and in prolonged periods of drought they usually hold up very well. To live they need a drained soil, no matter if it is poor, dry or arid, and a complete exposure to full sun. This plant has the ability to bury itself for a long length to avoid drying out or it also lengthens its stems if it had become very covered in sand during the growth process.
Sea lilies grow in warm, sunny places. And if we want the bulbs to fully mature, it is essential that after flowering there is a warm and dry period.
In Spain we can find them mainly in Murcia and the Balearic Islands, although the species grown in the Balearic Islands are protected.
Ecology
The pollination process of this plant is carried out by a hawk moth known as Arius convolvuli. For these insects to visit the flower there must be a wind speed of two meters per second. If the wind speed were higher these insects would not visit the flower.
Although artificial pollination is carried out in windy weather, this pollination is not efficient at all. This is important since the lily is not receptive to its own pollen and the plant can recognize it itself. This flower is only fertile if cross- pollination is carried out.
Pests
There is a plague closely related to sea lily plants, and its leaves are devoured by a caterpillar of the Lepidoptera Births crime, which only eats this plant exclusively.
Properties of sea lilies
The bulbs of sea lilies contain an inhibitor of acetyl cholinesterase, called ungeremin, which can be treated as a treatment for diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Unger mina has also been isolated from other plants, such as Serine Bowden, Crinum Augustus or Crinum asiaticum.
How to grow sea lilies?
If you are thinking of growing sea lilies at home, you need sandy soil that is perfectly drained. Therefore, you should find an area in your garden that dries quickly after it rains. If you can’t find such a spot, you can always plant the lilies in small mounds of sand, so gravity will take care of the drainage itself. You should also know that these lilies only grow in warm and very sunny areas. Therefore, plant the lilies in the areas of your garden where they receive sunlight most of the day, if the lilies do not receive enough light they will wither.
The bulbs are planted in autumn, at a depth of approximately 15 cm. Drill a hole this approximate depth. If you are going to plant several bulbs, you should leave a distance between each bulb of at least 15 cm, so that they will all have enough space to receive sunlight.
When you have the hole dug make sure you soften the sand at the bottom a bit and put a small amount of bone meal into it. Then place the bulbs carefully.
The bulbs will be obtained after flowering, but for them to fully mature it is absolutely necessary that there be a warm and dry period. The bulb will multiply by bulbils; these should be separated from the main bulb in autumn. You can also buy the bulbs directly from a specialty store.
Then we will cover the hole again without weighing down the earth. Finally, water the soil, this will make the soil moist and favor the growth of the plant.
If you want to improve water drainage you can make a flower bed with additional soil. We will place the flowerbed 13cm above the surface of the earth and it must be as large as to plant the bulbs correctly as explained. This is especially to do if you are planting the lilies in an area that takes a long time to dry after it rains.
During the beginning of the cold season we can add fertilizer to the soil to better protect the bulbs.
Also, when the first buds begin to appear, usually in the spring we will add a little organic fertilizer to the water. Be careful with the amounts, since providing excess nitrogen can make the stem of the lilies weaker, and even in areas with a hot and humid climate, the bulb could even rot.
Fertilize only when buds start to appear and once more the following month. If you want to achieve maximum results, you can use a specific fertilizer for lilies or even for potatoes.
Lilies don’t constantly need water, so water them only when needed. In general, rainwater is enough for them, but in the event of a severe drought, you could water the lilies with the help of a watering can, never using water in large quantities and letting it fall abruptly. Therefore, you should only water the lilies when they need it. To do this, try inserting a finger into the ground, if the ground is dry at the bottom, add water to your lilies.
Sea lily care
Caring for sea lilies, like the vast majority of lilies, is very simple. They are very easy plants to care for and their flowering is much appreciated. Although its flower usually only lasts a day, then it comes out completely beautiful again, just like the previous one.
Their care basically focuses on ensuring that they have good exposure to the sun, protecting the stems only if it is completely necessary, removing withered flowers and keeping the soil a little moist during the growing season. You can also provide them with a little organic fertilizer at the beginning of spring.
Remember that you should not cut the withered leaves until you are completely sure that there is no life left in them, since even if they are a little withered, they continue to take necessary reserves for the next flowering.
You can see that sea lilies are peculiar, but like other lilies, they do not need extreme care, making it an easy plant to grow and care for at home. We hope that this article has helped you to clarify all your doubts about sea lilies.
