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Red Spider Lily

Red spider lilies belong to the Lycoris genera of perennial flowering plants which has from 13 to 20 species. They are members of the amaryllis family. The blossoms of Lycoris species plants come in several colors, including white, yellow, orange, pink, and sometimes pink with blue highlights. 

he best known Lycoris species, however, is the bright red Lycoris radiata or red spider lily. That is this week's painting subject.

Here is a closer look at a red spider lily blossom.

What appears to be a single, complex blossom is actually 4 to 6 blossoms, all radiating from a common point. Each blossom has six curly tepals (combinations of calyx sepals and blossom petals) and six very long stamens resembling spider legs, the source of its name.

The true nature of red spider lily blossoms can be seen in the photos below, showing buds emerging from the umbel, the common point.  

This graphic image gives a clearer idea of the multi-part structure of fully open red spider lilies. 

Notice in this next photo that there are no leaves accompanying the blossoms; they just have bare stems.

The reason is that, unlike most plants, red spider lily stems and blossoms appear first from late summer to early fall. The blossoms last about two weeks before fading to pink and wilting. That is when leaves finally emerge.

Leaves stay green all winter before dying out mid to late spring. The plants stay dormant until they bloom again in the late summer. The plants last for many years.

Red spider lily blossoms have a pleasant scent. That and the bright red color attracts a variety of pollinators, especially butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

Unfortunately, pollinator's efforts are mostly fruitless--literally. New red spider lilies very rarely grow from seeds. Most of the time, they reproduce by bulb division; either naturally or with a little help from gardeners. No cutting is necessary.

In Japan, red spider lilies are called manjushage, from a sanskrit word meaning flower of the heavens. Another Japanese name for it is higanbana, meaning equinox flower, because of a tendency to blossom around the vernal equinox. That is also when the Buddhist religious holiday of Higan occurs; a time when people visit the graves of their ancestors. Because of that, higanbana also means flower of the afterlife. It is associated with a sole's journey after death.

Because of that association, it is common practice for red spider lilies to be planted in cemeteries. It is thought that the practice began long ago because red spider lilies are highly toxic. Planting them in cemeteries was a way to protect freshly buried bodies from animals.

For the same reason, they are planted around rice fields.

Wherever they are planted, red spider lilies add attractive color to the scenery, like these in Korakuen, one of Japan's most famous gardens, located in Okayama.

When masses of them are in bloom, Japanese come out to appreciate the view, like this one at Kinchakuda Manjushage Park, northwest of Tōkyō where 9 million red spider lilies are growing wild.

Artwork

Ikebana

Red spider lilies can contribute to striking Japanese floral arrangements.

Kawarazaki Shodo (1889-1973)

Shodo studied in traditional craft studios in Kyōto. His kachō-ga prints originally appeared in the 1950s. Their popularity led to many reprints in later years, though the first-run prints are the most valuable to collectors.