DESCRIPTION:

Please note the size, 1/2" in diameter, the slow growing time, and the fact these bulbs are actually cut off from the mother's basal plate (ie. the bulbs are NOT round offset bulbs like a typical crinum (read the Background comments).

PURPLE PRINCE is a form of what some people call "Queen Emma" or Queen Emma's Lily, especially in Hawaii or the Pacific region.  (This bulb is in very high demand and we cannot grow them as fast as they sell, thus the higher price.  Unfortunately, they are also much more slow growing than many crinum varieties, but the wait is well worth the expense and trouble, especially if you are zone 8 and above where they can be grown outside.)   "Queen Emma" is not really its proper name and another completely different crinum named "Augustum" also goes by the same nickname.  Purple Prince is actually crinum asiaticum variation procerum, a hybrid commonly found throughout Southeast Asia.  It is especially popular because of the burgundy/port wine, purple leaves.  These bulbs can grow quite large with the necks of the bulbs approaching 5" in diameter.   Please NOTE:  Asiaticum and procerum varieties are really tropical bulbs and will not thrive in cooler areas below zone 9.  Also, they will grow much slower than most crinum, so you can add a year or two to the description below on how we age our bulbs.  We currently grow about 24 different forms of procerum and this is probably the choice one of them all for different reasons.   It has a very dark color on new, emerging leaves, has a strong flower scape, sets occasional seed (especially if given some assistance), offsets well forming many new small bulbs around the base and is easy to transplant.

Other procerum vary in many ways with some being less cold tolerant, some don't transplant well with small offsets usually rotting, some have pistils of different lengths, some are essentially sterile and won't form seeds, some divide by vertical fission and don't produce small offsets where the large bulb just divides vertically into 2 or 3 new large bulbs.  Finally, most of the forms we grow don't have as much color.  Our original bulb is now about 15 years old and is 5" in diameter, has formed as many as 22 offsets in one year and has reached 5' 9" tall.  It takes a procerum about 6 years to reach a blooming size and it will continue to get larger for several years beyond that.

Currently we have over 1000 different crinum in our collection, including about 350 of our own hybrids.  Purple Prince certainly ranks in the top 10, a really choice selection.  Ours have bloomed every month of the year here in northeast FL, zone 9, but typically they bloom from March - December because of our winter freezes.  It will form a large, beautiful clump if left undisturbed for many years.

BACKGROUND:

This bulb is commonly called "Queen Emma" after the last queen of Hawaii.  Sometimes it is sold as filimentosum, kaawanum, splendens and even amabile, but none of these names have any real significance.  Crinum augustum, a sterile hybrid found more commonly in the Caribbean and Southeast US is called amabile but it's leaves are always green and it is a much larger plant with larger, very fragrant flowers that have a pink strip down each petal.

Procerum, when used as a seed parent, produces both green or purple leaf forms.  When used as a pollen parent, the seedlings are always green.  Procerum, like all of the asiaticum varieties, don't have that typical "round" bulb but have what is called a basal stump, like a squared off fence post at the bottom.  Although they are true bulbs, they don't really look like a typical bulb.  Most of these are fused at the base of the plant and actually need to be cut from the mother bulb with a shovel or a knife to separate the bulbs.  There is much confusion about these hybrids, so most of the information you find might not be very accurate.  As said previously, there are probably many dozens of clones in existance with somewhat different characteristics.

GROWING CONDITIONS:

This should be considered a tender tropical or semi-tropical bulb.  Purple Prince is more hardy than most and should survive zone 8 with adequate mulch.  In colder climates it will require protection in the winter and can be successfully grown in a pot.  When mature it will probably require at least a 10 gallon pot.  Full sun is best and regular water and fertilizer will be required if it is pot grown.  They are drought tolerant, can tolerates a wide range of soils and can survive nicely out of the ground for very extended periods if allowed to dry.