Well there is really very little info to find on them, and some have fatter roots them others, some are skinny, depending on the species that are involved. The himalaicus spp and hybrids have very fat roots, and leaves. The roots are very brittle and beak easily so I guess the imported ones just chop them off, also they used to be required to treat them for nematodes which was hard on them too. We haven't bought any from outside the US for many years - got a really bad imported order - then found someone fairly local who was smart enough to quit this business and we bought a bunch of that stock that they had hybridized.
They really, really hate pots, they may survive but rarely bloom in a pot. I would suggest a wide, fairly shallow pot, about 12 inch diameter and 6 inches deep(or larger) and a well drained but heavy (rocks could be added) mix to stabilize the pot or they will just tip over in bloom.
I think they can get really crowded and be happy, but the more crowded they are the harder to divide. We would dig them dry but soak them in water for no more than 1 day so we could have them flexible to untangle and get them apart, then dry them again. We also had to clean the old dead crown and roots off, they seem to replace that each year. Difficult as they are they were still easier than digging and dividing Crinums!
