Discussion

The Japanese word for the Red Spider Lily, higanbana, literally means "flower of the (other) shore". According to some beliefs, The Sanzu River is the dividing line between the land of the living and the land of the dead. The idea is similar to the River Styx from Greek mythology. The painting below by Tosa Mitsunobu (1434 – 1525) depicts a traveler in the afterlife crossing the Sanzu River. The good are allowed to pass safely, but the evil are cast into the demon-infested river.

Higanbana (also known as red spider lily or Hell Flower), is said to grow in the land of the dead on the "other" side of the Sanzu river. It represents death and reincarnation, and it guides souls to the afterlife. The 20th century print below represents higanbana in its Hell Flower persona.

In the past, the dead were buried in cemeteries without coffins. To protect the bodies, higanbana were planted around cemeteries to keep animals and vermin out. The plants are deadly for animals to eat and can make humans seriously ill, too.

Japanese use them to protect crops, too.

Red spider lilies go by many names; higanbana and Hell Flower being only two of them. Other names are red magic lily, corpse flower, and resurrection lily. Because of its tendency to bloom after heavy rainstorms, it is sometimes known as the hurricane lily. Prime blooming time is around the Autumnal equinox, so it is also called the equinox flower.

Red spider lilies can propagate through seeds.

But the percentage of seeds that successfully germinate is low. The primary means of propagation is by dividing bulbs.

Flower stalks 12 to 28 inches tall shoot straight up out of the ground and bud well before any leaves appear.

Red is the predominant color of red spider lilies, but some variations have other colors, too.

Japanese red spider lilies are genetically uniform, probably due to a specific species having been imported from China. They were brought to the U.S. from Japan in 1854 when Captain William Roberts, part of the Commodore Perry expedition that opened Japan to the West, brought three bulbs back with him. They are now well established in many southern states.

Red spider lilies in bloom make quite a display.

They tend to like well-shaded moist soil.

Even just a few can enhance a scene, as can be seen in this corner of Korakoen, one of Japan's best gardens, in Okayama.

For the most part, leaves don't appear until after the blossoms are gone.

Red spider lilies are dormant from the late spring through the summer. That is the best time to dig up and divide bulbs.

Red spider lilies enhance floral displays like the ikebana below.

Japanese paintings that feature red spider lilies are rare, strange considering how important they are to Japanese culture. I did manage to find this mid 20th century print by Kawarazaki Shodo (1889-1973).