A Rare And Beautiful Find On The Ashley River

It was a beautiful partly cloudy May day with temperatures in the high 80's--perfect for my excursion into Summerville's wild country. A hefty breeze played havoc with the heavily laden branches of the tall tupelo and oak trees scattered about and exaggerated the push of the changing incoming tide. I was kayaking the Ashley River looking to get some good photographs of whatever wildlife I would happen upon. Heading in the direction of Middleton Place from Herbert H. Jessen's Public Boat Landing, I decided to venture down one of the river's feeder creeks.

Not long after entering, I spotted a colony of dark green plants bearing an unusual looking seven-inch spider-looking white flower along the muddy edge. Little did I know, I happened upon what is today a rare sight. Rare, because greedy, thoughtless humans have decimated these beautiful plants by smothering them under dammed up rivers and polluting their life lines.

The native Indians were no doubt familiar with the flower as it flourished in the few rocky rivers in the lower Piedmont where their bulbs traveled downstream, lodged in rock crevices, and, in time, established clusters. As for European settlers, it was first observed and documented in 1783 by Naturalist William Bartram and described as the "odoriferous Pancratium fluitans which almost alone possesses the little rocky islets." He saw it growing in the Savannah River near Augusta, Georgia. Today, it is classified as Hymenocallis coronaria. Other names include shoal lily and rocky shoals spider-lily.

There are approximately over 60 extant populations of Hymenocallis coronaria left, all in the states of Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Georgia’s largest population of the lily is found in Flats Shoal Creek near the Alabama border and other sizable populations are in the Flint and Broad rivers. In Alabama, they are found in the Cahaba River where they are called the Cahaba lily and in South Carolina, populations are in the Catawba River. A section of the river at Landsford Canal State Park below Rock Hill boast the largest stand in the world. Stephens Creek, a tributary of the Savannah River, contains the State’s other significant population.

How it got on the Ashley River may be a mystery, but as a possible explanation, it could have been carried by a bird or transported through the Wassamassaw Swamp during severe flooding.. Whatever the reason, it is an oddity because this particular lily is known to proliferate in shallow, rocky shoals of swift moving water, not the pluff mud banks of the Ashley.

The plant produces pecan-size seeds that grow into bulbs. Dense colonies of the 3-foot lily burst forth displaying a striking, white-flower, which blooms from early May to late June. Each fragrant flower blossom opens overnight and last for one day. It is praised for its pleasing odor, especially strong at night. The fragrance readily attracts pollinators, such as the Paratrea plebeja, commonly known as the plebeian sphinx moth, and Battus philenor, the pipevine swallowtail butterfly as well as hummingbirds. To have viewed this rare and beautiful flowering plant is considered an amazing experience, of which, I agree.

I have been up and down the Ashley River and I have come across colonies of this endangered flower between Old Fort Dorchester and Middleton Place. If you would like to see the rare rocky shoals spider-lily, I would be happy to take you to my favorite spots, but that would have to be sooner if not immediately. The window is swiftly closing. Just grab your kayak or paddleboard and meet me at Herbert H. Jessen's Public Boat Landing, preferably around slack tide on any given day.