Practical
Plants

Lycoris radiata

Spider Lily

a member of the Lycoris genus in the family Amaryllidaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Lycoris
Height
0.5 m
Spread
0.1 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The bulb contains toxins and must be leached before it is used for food[1][9]. Bulbs contain 2 inactive alkaloids[5].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Bulb - cooked. It is used as a source of starch[1][3][5]. The bulb is 2.5 to 3.5cm in diameter[7]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Plant part
Root

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The root is used in the treatment of swellings, ulcers and the nervous afflictions of children[9]. The bulb is emetic and expectorant[13][2][9], a decoction is used to counteract poison[9] and is also applied to ulcers and swellings[4][9]. The bulb can be made into a plaster and is then applied to burns and scalds[10]. The plant is said to have anticancer properties[9].

Product or use
Cancer
Product or use
Emetic
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Poultice

Environment

Range
E. Asia - South-eastern China and southern Japan.
Habitat
By cultivated fields and in meadows in the lowland and hills of C. and S. Japan[12].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 3+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse and should germinate in the spring[7]. Sow the seed thinly so that it does not need to be disturbed for its first year of growth. Give an occasional liquid feed during the growing season to ensure the plants do not become nutrient deficient. Pot up the small bulbs when the plants become dormant, placing 2 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another 2 years in the greenhouse before planting them out when they are dormant. Division of offsets in the dormant season[7].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a deep well-drained sandy soil rich in organic matter in full sun[7]. This species is hardy to at least -15°c[7]. Other reports say that the bulb tolerates soil temperatures down to about -5°c[8][11]. This is a difficult plant to grow outdoors in temperate areas, the plant comes into growth in late summer, flowers in the autumn and the leaves then persist until the following summer when the plant will have a short period of dormancy. These leaves can be killed by hard frosts and, should this happen often, the bulb will be weakened and killed[7][11]. Plants therefore require a sheltered position to avoid damage to the growing leaves in the winter[7]. Plants need a warm period in late summer in order to ripen the bulbs and induce flowering in the following year[6]. Plants are attractive to slugs and need to be protected from them[7]. Very sensitive to root disturbance, the bulbs can take some years to become well established[7]. This plant is superficially similar to Nerine sarnensis and is often confused with that species[7].

References

  1. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Kariyone. T. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.

    ↩

  3. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  4. Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre

    ↩

  5. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  6. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩

  7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10

  8. Matthews. V. The New Plantsman. Volume 1, 1994. Royal Horticultural Society 1994-00-00 ISBN 1352-4186

    ↩

  9. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  10. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩

  11. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-330-37376-5

    ↩1↩2

  12. Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00

    ↩

  13. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

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