''Hymenocallis clivorum'' is a member of the genus ''Hymenocallis'', of the plant family

Amaryllidaceae The Amaryllidaceae are a family of herbaceous, mainly perennial and bulbous (rarely rhizomatous) flowering plants in the monocot order Asparagales. The family takes its name from the genus ''Amaryllis'' and is commonly known as the amaryllis fa ...

. It is native to the southern part of the Mexican state of

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

.Laferrière, Joseph E. 1998. A new ''Hymenocallis'' (Amaryllidaceae) from Sonora, Mexico. Novon 8:242-243.
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Description

''Hymenocallis clivorum'' is a perennial herb producing bulbs about 6 cm long that resemble small onions. The leaves are narrow and sword-shaped, up to 35 cm long, very waxy on the surface. The flowering stalk is up to 45 cm tall, bearing an

umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...

of 8-11 flowers. The flowers are white with a white staminal cup (= membrane connecting the filaments) 18–21 mm high.

Taxonomy

The species was first described in 1998 by Joseph E. Laferrière. The epithet "''clivorum''" means "of the slopes." The

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

is grammatically a genitive noun rather than an adjective, thus explaining the "-orum" ending despite the feminine generic name.Stearn, W.T. 1987. Botanical Latin. David & Charles.

Distribution and habitat

Many of the species of the genus grow in swamps and along streambanks in the warmer parts of the Western Hemisphere, especially in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

and the southeastern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Only two other species are known from

: '' H. pimana'' grows in grassy fields in the

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American C ...

along the line with

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

; '' H. sonorensis'' along stream banks in southern

and in

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...

. ''Hymenocallis clivorum'', however, is found on hillsides in semi-arid brushlands.Laferrière, Joseph E. 1998. Amaryllidaceae. In: P. S. Martin et al (eds)., Gentry's Rio Mayo Plants. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15518446 clivorum Flora of Sonora Plants described in 1998