Spider Lily, Red spider lily, Nerine Lily, Short tube Lycoris
Lycoris radiata
Family: Amaryllidaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Red. Main Bloom Time: Early fall, Late summer. Form: Upright or erect.
Lycoris radiata is a BULB growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) by 0.1 m (0ft 4in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3. It is in leaf from September to July, in flower in August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.5
Where it is found
By cultivated fields and in meadows in the lowland and hills of C. and S. Japan.
E. Asia - South-eastern China and southern Japan.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Bulb - cooked. It is used as a source of starch. The bulb is 2.5 to 3.5cm in diameter. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 2
The root is used in the treatment of swellings, ulcers and the nervous afflictions of children. The bulb is emetic and expectorant, a decoction is used to counteract poison and is also applied to ulcers and swellings. The bulb can be made into a plaster and is then applied to burns and scalds. The plant is said to have anticancer properties.
Cancer: Used in the treatment of cancer.
Emetic: Induces vomiting.
Expectorant: Clears phlegm from the chest by inducing coughing.
Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Container, Specimen. Requires a deep well-drained sandy soil rich in organic matter in full sun. This species is hardy to at least -15°c. Other reports say that the bulb tolerates soil temperatures down to about -5°c. This is a difficult plant to grow outdoors in temperate areas, the plant comes into growth in late summer, flowers in the autumn and the leaves then persist until the following summer when the plant will have a short period of dormancy. These leaves can be killed by hard frosts and, should this happen often, the bulb will be weakened and killed. Plants therefore require a sheltered position to avoid damage to the growing leaves in the winter. Plants need a warm period in late summer in order to ripen the bulbs and induce flowering in the following year. Plants are attractive to slugs and need to be protected from them. Very sensitive to root disturbance, the bulbs can take some years to become well established. This plant is superficially similar to Nerine sarnensis and is often confused with that species. Special Features: Not North American native, Suitable for cut flowers, Attractive flowers or blooms.
Propagating it: The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse and should germinate in the spring. Sow the seed thinly so that it does not need to be disturbed for its first year of growth. Give an occasional liquid feed during the growing season to ensure the plants do not become nutrient deficient. Pot up the small bulbs when the plants become dormant, placing 2 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another 2 years in the greenhouse before planting them out when they are dormant. Division of offsets in the dormant season.
Best place to grow: South Wall. By.
Habit: Bulb
Hardiness: 8-10
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
The bulb contains toxins and must be leached before it is used for food. Bulbs contain 2 inactive alkaloids.