''Lycoris'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of 13–20 species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family

Amaryllidaceae The Amaryllidaceae are a family of herbaceous, mainly perennial and bulbous (rarely rhizomatous) flowering plants in the monocot order Asparagales. The family takes its name from the genus ''Amaryllis'' and is commonly known as the amaryllis fa ...

, subfamily

Amaryllidoideae Amaryllidoideae (Amaryllidaceae ''s.s.'', amaryllids) is a subfamily of monocot flowering plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, order Asparagales. The most recent APG classification, APG III, takes a broad view of the Amaryllidaceae, which then ...

. They are native to eastern and southern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

in China, Japan, southern

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, northern

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, northern

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

, northern

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, northern

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

, northern

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, and eastern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. They were imported into

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and now grow wild. In English they are also called hurricane lilies or cluster amaryllis. The genus shares the English name

spider lily Spider lily is the common name for a number of different plant species within the family Amaryllidaceae which belong to the following genera: * ''Crinum'', a genus of about 180 species of perennial plants in the family Amaryllidaceae found along ...

with two other related genera.What is the Genus ''Lycoris''?
Taxonomy
Flora of China
''Lycoris''
石蒜属 shi suan shuGermplasm Resources Information Network
''Lycoris''
They are

bulb In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...

-producing

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

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 In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...

of four to eight

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s, which can be white, yellow, orange, or red. The flowers divide into two types, those with very long, filamentous

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s two or three times as long as the

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s (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 In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is a three-valved capsule containing several black

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s. Many of the species are sterile, reproducing only vegetatively, and are probably of

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

origin; several additional known hybrids occur.What is the Genus ''Lycoris''?
Species Evolution by Hybridization in the genus Lycoris

Selected species

, the ''World Checklist of Selected Plant Families'' recognizes 22 species and one hybrid:Search for "Lycoris", # ''

Lycoris albiflora ''Lycoris'' is a Greek word and it means "twilight". Other uses include: * ''Lycoris'' (plant), a genus of family Amaryllidaceae *Lycoris, a character of .hack ''.hack'' (pronounced "Dot Hack") is a Japanese multimedia franchise that encompasses ...

'' Koidz. (treated as the hybrid ''L.'' × ''albiflora'' by some sources) – white spider lily -

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

# '' Lycoris anhuiensis'' Y.Xu & G.J.Fan -

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

# ''

Lycoris argentea ''Lycoris'' is a Greek word and it means "twilight". Other uses include: * ''Lycoris'' (plant), a genus of family Amaryllidaceae *Lycoris, a character of .hack the multimedia franchise *Lycoris (company), a software company, acquired by Mandriva in ...

'' Worsley -

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

# ''

Lycoris aurea ''Lycoris'' is a Greek word and it means "twilight". Other uses include: * ''Lycoris'' (plant), a genus of family Amaryllidaceae *Lycoris, a character of .hack the multimedia franchise *Lycoris (company), a software company, acquired by Mandriva in ...

'' (L'Hér.) Herb. ( syn. ''Nerine aurea'') – golden spider lily - China, Japan incl Ryukyu Is,

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

# '' Lycoris caldwellii'' Traub – magic lily -

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

# '' Lycoris chinensis'' Traub – yellow surprise lily -

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

# ''

Lycoris flavescens ''Lycoris'' is a Greek word and it means "twilight". Other uses include: * ''Lycoris'' (plant), a genus of family Amaryllidaceae *Lycoris, a character of .hack the multimedia franchise *Lycoris (company) Lycoris (formerly Redmond Linux Corporation) ...

'' M.Kim & S.Lee -

# '' Lycoris guangxiensis'' Y.Xu & G.J.Fan -

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...

# '' Lycoris haywardii'' Traub - Japan # '' Lycoris houdyshelii'' Traub -

Matsu Islands The Matsu Islands ( or , ; Foochow Romanized: Mā-cū liĕk-dō̤), officially Lienchiang County (, ; Foochow Romanized: Lièng-gŏng-gâing), are an archipelago of 36 islands and islets in the East China Sea governed by the Republic of China ( ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

# ''

Lycoris incarnata ''Lycoris'' is a Greek word and it means "twilight". Other uses include: * ''Lycoris'' (plant), a genus of family Amaryllidaceae *Lycoris, a character of .hack the multimedia franchise *Lycoris (company), a software company, acquired by Mandriva in ...

'' Comes ex Sprenger – peppermint surprise lily -

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...

# '' Lycoris josephinae'' Traub -

# '' Lycoris koreana'' Nakai -

, †Japan # '' Lycoris longituba'' Y.C.Hsu & G.J.Fan – long tube surprise lily -

# ''

Lycoris radiata ''Lycoris radiata'', known as the red spider lily, red magic lily, corpse flower, or equinox flower, is a plant in the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Originally from China, Korea, and Nepal, it was introduced into J ...

'' (L'Hér.) Herb. – spider lily, red spider lily - China,

, Japan,

; naturalized in

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...

and in scattered places in United States # '' Lycoris rosea'' Traub & Moldenke -

# ''

Lycoris sanguinea ''Lycoris'' is a Greek word and it means "twilight". Other uses include: * ''Lycoris'' (plant), a genus of family Amaryllidaceae *Lycoris, a character of .hack the multimedia franchise *Lycoris (company) Lycoris (formerly Redmond Linux Corporation) ...

'' Maxim. – orange spider lily - Japan # '' Lycoris shaanxiensis'' Y.Xu & Z.B.Hu -

# '' Lycoris sprengeri'' Comes ex Baker – tie dye surprise lily -

# ''

Lycoris squamigera ''Lycoris squamigera'', the resurrection lily or surprise lily, is a plant in the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. It is also sometimes referred to as naked ladies (a name used for several other plants). It is nati ...

'' Maxim. – naked lady, surprise lily, magic lily, resurrection lily -

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

, Japan,

; naturalized in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

# '' Lycoris straminea'' Lindl. -

# '' Lycoris uydoensis'' M.Kim -

;formerly included A few names have been coined using the name ''Lycoris'' but referring to species now considered better suited to other genera ('' Griffinia'' and '' Ungernia''). Here are links to help you find appropriate information. * ''Lycoris hyacinthina - Griffinia hyacinthina'' * ''Lycoris radiata - Ungernia trisphaera'' * ''Lycoris severzowii - Ungernia severzowii'' ;Hybrids * ''Lycoris'' × ''chejuensis'' chejuensis K.H.Tae & S.C.Ko - Korea

Cultivation and uses

''Lycoris'' are extensively cultivated as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s in China and Japan, and also in other warm temperate regions of the world. In Japan, they are widely used at the edges of

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

paddy field A paddy field is a flooded field (agriculture), field of arable land used for growing Aquatic plant, semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in sout ...

s to provide a strip of bright flowers in the summer, and over 230

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s have been selected for garden use. They are locally

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the i ...

in the southeastern United States, where they are often called hurricane flowers, due to their blooming period coinciding with the peak of hurricane season. In China, people often use them as decorations in festivals or celebrations.

Legends

Since these scarlet flowers usually bloom near

cemeteries A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

around the autumnal equinox, they are described in Chinese and Japanese translations of the

Lotus Sutra The ''Lotus Sūtra'' ( zh, 妙法蓮華經; sa, सद्धर्मपुण्डरीकसूत्रम्, translit=Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtram, lit=Sūtra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma, italic=) is one of the most influ ...

as ominous flowers that grow in

Diyu Diyu () is the realm of the dead or " hell" in Chinese mythology. It is loosely based on a combination of the Buddhist concept of Naraka, traditional Chinese beliefs about the afterlife, and a variety of popular expansions and reinterpretations ...

(also known as Hell), or Huángquán (

Simplified Chinese Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to: Mathematics Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one, that is simpler (usually shorter), for example * Simplification of algebraic expressions, ...

: 黄泉;

Traditional Chinese A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

: 黃泉), and guide the dead into the next reincarnation. When the flowers of ''lycoris'' bloom, their leaves would have fallen; when their leaves grow, the flowers would have wilted. This habit gave rise to various legends. A famous one is the legend of two

elves An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

: Mañju (

: 曼珠;

: 曼珠), who guarded the flower, and Saka (

: 沙华;

: 沙華), who guarded the leaves. Out of curiosity, they defied their

fate Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...

of guarding the herb alone, and managed to meet each other. At first sight, they fell in love with each other.

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

, exasperated by their waywardness, separated the miserable couple, and laid a curse on them as a punishment: the flowers of Mañju shall never meet the leaves of Saka again. It was said that when the couple met after death in

, they vowed to meet each other after

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...

. However, neither of them could keep their word. In commemoration of the couple, some call the herbs "Mañjusaka" (

: 曼珠沙华;

: 曼珠沙華), a mixture of "Mañju" and "Saka", instead of their

scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

. The same name is used in Japanese, in which it is pronounced ''manju-syage''. Some other legends have it that when a person sees someone that they may never meet again, these flowers, also called red spider lilies, would bloom along the path. Perhaps because of these sorrowful legends,

Japanese people The are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Japanese archipelago."人類学上は，旧石器時代あるいは縄文時代以来，現在の北海道〜沖縄諸島（南西諸島）に住んだ集団を祖先にもつ人々。" () Jap ...

often used these flowers in

funerals A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

. Popular name of Japanese for lycoris is literally

higan is a Buddhist holiday exclusively celebrated by Japanese sects for seven days; three days before and after both the Spring equinox (shunbun) and Autumnal equinox (shūbun). It is observed by nearly every Buddhist school in Japan. The tradi ...

(the other or that shore of

sanzu river The is a mythological river in Japanese Buddhist tradition similar to the Hindu concept of the Vaitarna and Greek concept of the Styx. Before reaching the afterlife, the souls of the deceased must cross the river by one of three crossing points ...

) flower means, decorate and enjoyable, flower of

afterlife The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving ess ...

in .

Gallery

Image:Lycoris aurea.jpg, ''Lycoris aurea'', a species with long stamens File:Lycoris aurea-jp.jpg, ''Lycoris aurea'' (yellow) and ''Lycoris radiata'' (red) in Chiba Japan Image:Lycoris radiata Ans1.jpg, ''Lycoris radiata'' is an important cultural icon in Japan Image:Lycoris squamigera2.jpg, ''Lycoris squamigera'', a species with short stamens Image:Red spider lily October 2007 Osaka Japan.jpg, ''Lycoris radiata'', Red spider lily

References

External links

Images of ''Lycoris''
Flavon's art gallery - Amaryllidaceae
Photo Gallery of ''Lycoris''
Juniper Level Botanic Gardens Lycoris Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Lycoris (Plant) Amaryllidaceae genera Amaryllidoideae

Selected species

Cultivation and uses

Legends

Gallery

See also

References

External links