Pancratium maximum is a perennial glabrous herb that grows up to 30 cm tall arising from a bulb. It is endemic to south western Arabia.
Pancratium maximum is a perennial glabrous herb up to 20 cm tall arising from a bulb. The bulb is globose, 4âÂÂ6 cm in diameter, narrowed above into a cylindrical neck, covered with several layers of dark reddish brown papery tunics. Leaves 2âÂÂ7 cm long, variable in width, linear-elliptic to narrowly elliptic or ovate and abruptly narrowed into a petiole below, 10âÂÂ30 cm long x 2.3âÂÂ18 cm across. The flower is white with yellow anthers and black angular seeds.
Pancratium maximum flowers during the monsoon rains. It grows throughout the areas in Dhofar affected by the monsoon and can be seen in a variety of different environments including coastal plains, wooded mountain slopes, grasslands and high plateaus at the back of mountains..
Pancratium maximum is completely useless as fodder for livestock. The bulb and the leaves are toxic to all livestock.