What’s
in a name?
.
 |
| Lycoris radiata |
.
Nom: It’s a red
spider lily. Lycoris radiata. It’s in the amaryllis family.
.
De Bloom: But it
doesn't look like an amaryllis. It’s not a big trumpet flower. It looks like a
swoopy space invader.
.
Nom: Big family.
A lot of variety in the flowers. Ranging
from daffodils to onions and garlic.
.
De Bloom: Garlic?
.
Nom: Amaryllidaceae.
In Chinese it’s called mànzhū shā huá (曼珠沙華), in Japanese it’s called higanbana (彼岸花).
Loosely meaning, ominous flowers that grow in hell. Connotations with parting
and death. Shouldn’t give them as a gift.
___________
Voice-over
Lycoris radiata
is a bulbous perennial. The red flowers usually appear before the leaves. Blooms
are irregular, stamens sweeping backwards. Bulbs are poisonous, grown around
paddy fields and waterways in Japan, keeping rat numbers down.
…
