ðə dʒˈɛnəs hˈaɪmənˌɑːkæliz wʌz kɹiːˈeɪɾᵻd baɪ ɹˈɪtʃɚd ˈænθəni sˈɔːlsbɹi ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛlv, wˌɛn hiː sˈɛpɚɹˌeɪɾᵻd ˈaʊt ɐ nˈʌmbɚɹ ʌv spˈiːsiːz fˈɔːɹmɚli plˈeɪst ɪn pæŋkɹˈeɪɾiəm, stˈɑːɹɾɪŋ wɪð hˈaɪmənˌɑːkæliz lˌɪɾoːɹˈɑːliz.
The genus Hymenocallis was created by Richard Anthony Salisbury in 1812, when he separated out a number of species formerly placed in Pancratium, starting with Hymenocallis littoralis.