red spider lily (Lycoris radiata) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Red spider lily is a long-lived bulb grown in gardens in the southeastern United States. Its bright red flowers appear on leafless stalks in late summer and early fall, followed by narrow leaves that stay through winter and die back in spring. It is also called hurricane lily in the Southeast.

Appearance

Growth form: Bare flower stalks rise 1–2 ft (0.3–0.6 m) from an underground bulb.
Leaves: Narrow gray-green leaves emerge in fall, stay through winter, and die back in spring.
Flowers: Four to seven bright red flowers grow in a cluster. Each has six narrow, wavy segments that curl back, and long, slender parts carrying pollen stick out, making the blooms look like spiders.
Flowering time: In the southeastern United States, it flowers from late summer into early fall.

Look-alikes

surprise lilyLycoris squamigera

Surprise lily has broad, pale pink, trumpet-shaped flowers, usually in August or September. Red spider lily has vivid red flowers with much narrower, wavy petals that curl back and long, slender parts carrying pollen that stick out conspicuously.

Why they get mixed upBoth produce flowers on bare stalks after their leaves have disappeared.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: garden borders
walkways
old homestead sites
Range: Native to China, it is grown in the United States, including gardens in North Carolina and other southeastern states.
Preferred conditions: It grows in full sun to partial shade in rich, moist, well-drained soil, with drier soil during dormancy.
Flowering: Flowers Aug–Sep
Flowers Aug–Sep

Growing it

Propagation: Garden clumps spread by and can be divided after they become established.
Toxicity: The plant is poisonous, especially the bulb, and should not be eaten.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed

Culture and stories

Culture and stories: It is also called equinox flower.

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