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Red spider lily

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Scientific name

Lycoris radiata

other common names

Japanese - higanbana

Chinese - mànzhū shā huá

Flower meaning

Death

Reason for flower meaning

Red spider Lillies bloom once summer has ended and as fall begins. These seasons are usually when most plants start to die and the weather gets cooler

Petal color

Red

Time of bloom

Beginning of fall

Height of flower

12 - 28 in.

category

bulbs

how long does the flower live

Red spider Lillie's fall in the bulb category and tend to live for quite a long time as long as the bulb remains intact

poisonous or non poisonous

They do have poisonous characteristics, but its mainly towards rodents

most commonly eaten by

Butterflies, bees, and sometimes birds

native to

China, Korea and Nepal

Commonly used for

funerals and grave yards

what do you most commonly think of when you see this flower

I think about my birthday since they usually start too bloom around that time

family stories

My uncle would tell me that evil spirits would get trapped in the flower and get sent to hell. If the flower was to die or be harmed in any way before that, the spirits would be set free.

commonly known stories

Poisonous to rodents and other wild animals, they were often planted in and around graveyards during Japan’s pre-cremation days to stop the dead being eaten. The beginning, perhaps, of their connection with death. The name of the flower can also refer to ‘the other shore’; its bright colours said to guide souls into the afterlife. An aspect that presumably explains its use at funerals.And if that wasn’t enough, another story is that red spider lilies bloom along the paths of departing lovers. Companions who for one reason or another are destined to never meet again.Yet associations with death and departing lovers aside, the higanbana does undoubtedly represent the shift from summer to autumn. A welcome sight after too many long, desperately hot days. Although it’s not just the promise of cooler weather, but also its incredible beauty.