Lycoris

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Lycoris sanguinea, a species with short stamens

Lycoris and butterfly（Papilio xuthus Linnaeus 1767）in Japan

Lycoris is a genus of 13–20 species of flowering plants in the family Amaryllidaceae. In English they are also called hurricane lilies or cluster amaryllises. The genus shares the English name spider lily with two other related genera.

They are bulb-producing perennial plants. The leaves are long and slender, 30–60 cm long and only 0.5–2 cm broad. The scape is erect, 30–70 cm tall, bearing a terminal umbel of four to eight flowers, which can be white, yellow, orange, or red. The flowers divide into two types, those very long, filamentous stamens two or three times as long as the tepals (subgenus Lycoris; e.g. Lycoris radiata), and those with shorter stamens not much longer than the tepals (subgenus Symmanthus Traub & Moldenke; e.g. Lycoris sanguinea). The fruit is a three-valved capsule containing several black seeds. Many of the species are sterile, reproducing only vegetatively, and are probably of hybrid origin; several additional known hybrids occur.

Selected species

• Lycoris anhuiensis Y.Xu & G.J.Fan
• Lycoris aurea (Golden Spider Lily) (L'Hér.) Herb.
• Lycoris caldwellii (Magic Lily) Traub
• Lycoris chinensis (Yellow Surprise Lily) Traub
• Lycoris guangxiensis Y.Xu & G.J.Fan
• Lycoris incarnata (Peppermint Surprise Lily) Comes ex Sprenger
• Lycoris longituba (Long Tube Surprise Lily) Y.Xu & G.J.Fan
• Lycoris radiata (Spider Lily) (L'Hér.) Herb.
• Lycoris sanguinea (Orange Spider Lily) Maxim.
• Lycoris shaanxiensis Y.Xu & Z.B.Hu
• Lycoris sprengeri (Tie Dye Surprise Lily) Comes ex Baker
• Lycoris squamigera (Naked Lady, Surprise Lily, Magic Lily, Resurrection Lily) Maxim.
• Lycoris straminea Lindl.;Hybrids
• Lycoris × albiflora (White Spider Lily) Koidz. (natural hybrid, parentage uncertain)
• Lycoris × houdyshelii (Surprise Lily) Traub (cultivated hybrid, unknown origin)
• Lycoris × rosea Traub & Moldenke (probably L. radiata × L. sprengeri)

Cultivation

Plant bulbs in autumn, with neck of bulb at surface level of soil. Under glass, grow in potting soil under full light. Top-dress when grown begins, then give plenty of water and use balanced fertilizer until leaves die down. Keep dry while dormant (summer). Outdoors, grow in fertile soil with good drainage, under full sun. Protect with dry winter mulch if you are in a marginal cold zone.

Propagation

Sow seeds at 45-54ºF (6-12ºC) as soon as ripe. Remove offsets after flowering.

Pests and diseases

Rare.

Taxonomy

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Formerly often treated in the family Liliaceae

Distribution and habitat

Lycoris are extensively cultivated as ornamental plants in Japan and China, and also in other warm temperate regions of the world. In Japan, they are widely used at the edges of rice paddy fields to provide a strip of bright flowers in the summer, and over 230 cultivars have been selected for garden use. They are locally naturalised in the southeastern United States, where they are often called hurricane flowers.

They are native to eastern and southern Asia in Japan, southern Korea, eastern and southern China, northern Vietnam, northern Laos, northern Thailand, northern Myanmar, Nepal, northern Pakistan, Afghanistan, and eastern Iran.

References

• 

  Lycoris aurea, a species with long stamens

• 

  Lycoris radiata is an important cultural icon in Japan

• 

  Lycoris squamigera, a species with short stamens

• 

  Lycoris radiata, Red spider lily

External links

• Images of Lycoris Flavon's art gallery - Amaryllidaceae