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Horticultural hybrid of the Amaryllidaceae family, described as early as 1839 by William Herbert. Its exact parents remain debated, but they originate from the genus Ismene, whose wild species are native to the Andes of South America, mainly from Peru and Bolivia, where they grow on rocky slopes and semi-arid high-altitude areas.
The plant forms an upright bulbous clump, reaching 50 to 70 cm in height, with ribbon-like, broad, and shiny green leaves. The flowers, large and spectacular, are pure white, composed of a central funnel-shaped cup (the crown) surrounded by six narrow and recurved tepals, often slightly wavy, giving it an airy and almost spider-like appearance. They are grouped in umbels of three to five flowers at the top of a sturdy floral stem and emit a sweet and subtle fragrance.
In cultivation, flowering generally occurs from June to July. A sterile hybrid, it does not produce seeds and multiplies exclusively by offsets. It prefers well-drained soil, in full sun or light partial shade. In mild and oceanic climates, the bulbs can be kept in the ground with winter mulching; elsewhere, it is wise to bring them indoors to avoid frost.