aka.lycoris radiata, red magic lily, equinox flower, hurricane lily, resurrection lily, higanbana, corpse flower, shibitobana, yureibana, sutegobana, amisori hana, tengai hana, zigokubana, dokubana
A 30-70 cm tall flower in the amaryllis family. It normally blooms in late summer or autumn, after heavy rainfalls. It's bulbs are poisonous and are are mostly used in Japan to surround rice paddies and houses to keep pests and mice away, this is because they grow mostly around rivers. They grow on both sides of hills, hillsides, both sides of roads, banks of fields and is especially found in graveyards.
The "hurricane lily" name comes from the fact that these plants flower during hurricane season. It's other names meanings are a little obvious, since "red spider lily" refers to its spider-like stamens, "equinox flower" to it's autumn blooming and "corpse flower" is a translation for one of it's Japanese names 「shibito hana」.
The 'lycoris' in its scientific name refers to it's neurotoxin, lycorin. Meanwhile, 'radiata' possibly refers to a historical taxonomic rank that was used to classify animals with radially symmetric body plans, refering to its symmetric-like petals and stamens.
It's Japanese name 「彼岸花, higanbana」, means “flower of higan (other shore of Sanzu River/Buddhist holiday around the autumnal equinox)”, since it symbolises autumn's arriver. It is also said that people intentionally made it sinister names so that children do not dig and eat it.
Other names can mean: 「死人花, shibitobana」 corpse flower, 「幽霊花, yureibana」 ghost flower, 「捨子花, sutegobana」 abandoned child flower, 「網反り花, amisori hana」 flower with spider web curvature, 「天外花, tengai hana」 flower beyond the heavens and 「地獄花, zigokubana」 hell flower. It's also called by over 1000 other local names in Japan.
In China, they mean ‘pure beauty’, in Korea, symbolizes ‘remembering each other’ and in Japan, red spider lilies are associated with painful memories. They're associated with death because legends say that a man died by eating the bulb of this flower while starving. Also because according to Buddhism, it's period of blooming is during the 7 days of autumn, where the living can enter the world of the dead to meet their ancestors. This is also the time when Japanese people visit and repair graves of deceased ancestors.
Legend says that it's the only flower growing on the way down the golden stream. Before crossing the Nai Ha bridge, a soul will send all its memories to red spider lily, whether it is memories of happiness or suffering. People also believe that it's the the gateway to the world of the deceased. In the days when people meet the dead, red spider lily is the residence of the souls.
It's said the plant has red color because it sucked the blood of buried people. It also looks like a ghost, as the flower moves swaying greatly. In addition, there are superstitions that bringing red spider lily flowers home will cause a firing.
꧁ CREDS: Wikia, Trees, Medium, kaxkutei
All images on this post are not mine!!!
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