Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Lovely Lilies, Poisonous Spiders

 

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These two swamp lilies are just a little ragged, but still caught my eye as we drove past them.

Hymenocallis littoralis is also known as Beach Spider Lily. Lycorine alkaloids, which are highly toxic and found in this plant, are being used in genetics research. Lycorine was first found in Hurricane Lilies (Licoris Radiata) by a Japanese man, Morishima, in 1897. It was later found in Narcissus, Amaryllis, Crinums and other plants.

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