Common Name: Spider Lily

Family: Amaryllidaceae J. St-Hil. ( ~Liliaceae)

Country of Origin: China, Japan

Habitat: By cultivated fields and in meadows in the lowland and hills

Description: Leaves appearing in autumn, 7-15 cm long, 4-7 mm wide. Flowers 4-7 per umbel. Perianth irregular, red, to 4 cm long. Perianth tube very short. Tepals strongly recurved; undulate. Stamens twice length of tepals. Sterile triploid, an ancient cultigen widespread in China, Japan and other temperate countries.

Culture: Grow Lycoris as pot plants using a slightly acidic potting mix with a liberal amount of slow-release fertilizer. Like Nerine and many other amaryllids with fleshy roots, they need to be kept completely dry and undisturbed from the time the leaves die back until the flower stems appear. But unlike Nerine, they do not appreciate high soil temperatures.

L. aurea, L. radiata and hybrids derived from it are at home in our climate (Mediterranean type, similar to Los Angeles), with foliage appearing in autumn and dying in late spring.

Species that linger semi-dormant through winter and expand their leaves in spring - such as L. incarnata and L. sprengeri - are more difficult, as their growing season can be abruptly shortened by the onset of searing summer sun.