This article was prepared with the support of UFL flower delivery. Every year in late September Japan turns red: riverbanks, the edges of rice fields and old cemeteries are covered in a "carpet of fire" of slender, spidery flowers. This is higanbana, a flower that enchants tourists yet stirs superstitious fear in many Japanese people.
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Higanbana's botanical name is Lycoris radiata, the red spider lily, from the amaryllis family. The genus is named after Lycorias, a sea nymph in Greek mythology. The plant came to Japan from China long ago, probably together with rice farming.
The Japanese name 彼岸花 means "flower of higan": it blooms during the autumn O-Higan, the week around the autumn equinox when Japanese families visit their ancestors' graves. "Higan" means "the other shore", the world of the dead. The flower has other names too:
The key feature of lycoris is that its flowers and leaves never appear at the same time. In September a bare stalk 30–50 cm tall shoots up within days, topped by an umbel of 5–7 scarlet flowers with long curving stamens. After flowering, narrow dark green leaves appear; they last through winter and die back by summer. The Japanese call this "ha-mi-zu, hana-mi-zu" — "the leaves never see the flowers, the flowers never see the leaves".
Every part of the plant, especially the bulb, contains the toxic alkaloid lycorine. That's why Japanese farmers planted higanbana along rice paddies and in cemeteries: the bulbs deterred moles, mice and other animals that could damage crops or graves. In times of famine the bulbs were eaten after long soaking, but untreated they are dangerous.
Growing beside graves and coloured like fire and blood, the flower became a symbol of death and parting. Higanbana is never given as a gift or brought into the home, as it's said to bring fire or misfortune. In hanakotoba, the Japanese language of flowers, it means "never to meet again" and "sad memories".
A sad legend explains the lycoris's peculiarity. Two spirits guarded one plant: Manju looked after the flowers and Saka the leaves. The gods forbade them to meet, but one day they broke the rule, saw each other and fell in love. As punishment they were cursed: ever since, the flowers and leaves grow on the same plant but never see each other. The lovers vowed to meet in their next life, but it was never to be.
Another belief says higanbana grows along the road to the afterlife, guiding souls towards rebirth. If you meet someone on a road where lycoris is blooming, it's said you'll never see them again.
In Japanese painting, literature, manga and anime the red spider lily signals tragedy, mystery, death or farewell. It appears in scenes of parting and at the border between worlds, and the plot of the hit anime Demon Slayer revolves around a mysterious "blue spider lily". Haiku poets treat it as one of the emblems of autumn.
Peak bloom is short — about a week, usually from 20 to 30 September.
Lycoris radiata likes warmth and survives brief frosts only down to about −10 °C, so in Ukraine it grows outdoors only in the south, with winter protection. Elsewhere, grow it in a pot: plant the bulb with its neck above the soil, keep it dry in summer and start watering when the flower stalk appears. A hardier relative is the pink-flowered Lycoris squamigera. Wear gloves when handling the bulbs and keep them away from children and pets.
Not in Japan: it's a flower of funerals and parting. In Europe lycoris is rarely used in bouquets.
In the second half of September, around the autumn equinox.
Yes, all parts contain lycorine and cause vomiting and poisoning if eaten.
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Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
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