The fertile, diploid populations are Lycoris radiata var. pumila Grey (Hardy Bulbs 2: 58. 1938) according to Hsu et al. (Sida 16: 325. 1994), while the morphologically essentially identical, triploid populations are Lycoris radiata var. radiata[].

Common Name: Spider Lily

General Information

Lycoris radiata is a perennial plant growing from a subglobose bulb around 10 - 30mm in diameter; it can grow up to 30cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. This is one of several species that have been cultivated on a commercial scale for the extraction of the alkaloid 'galantamine', a substance used medicinally in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and also to treat several other conditions[].

Known Hazards

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

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - Nepal, southern and eeastern China, Korea and southern Japan.

Habitat

By cultivated fields and in meadows in the lowland and hills of C. and S. Japan[]. Shady and moist places on slopes, rocky places along stream banks; from near sea level to 1,000 metres, occasionally to 2,500 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	0.50 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Lycoris radiata is cold-hardy to at least -15°c[]. Other reports say that the bulb tolerates soil temperatures down to about -5°c[, ]. 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[, ]. Plants therefore require a sheltered position to avoid damage to the growing leaves in the winter[]. Plants need a warm period in late summer in order to ripen the bulbs and induce flowering in the following year[].
Requires a deep well-drained sandy soil rich in organic matter in full sun[].
Plants are attractive to slugs and need to be protected from them[].
Very sensitive to root disturbance, the bulbs can take some years to become well established[].
This plant is superficially similar to Nerine sarnensis and is often confused with that species[].

Edible Uses

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

Medicinal

The bulb and the flowers are a source of the alkaloid 'galantamine', which is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Galantamine has been shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease and to alleviate many of its symptoms. The alkaloid has also been shown to encourage lucid dreaming and to also be of use in the treatment of a number of other conditions including poliomyelitis[].

The root is used in the treatment of swellings, ulcers and the nervous afflictions of children[].

The bulb is emetic and expectorant[, , ], a decoction is used to counteract poison[] and is also applied to ulcers and swellings[, ]. The bulb can be made into a plaster and is then applied to burns and scalds[].

The plant is said to have anticancer properties[].
The leaves and underground parts of the plant contain various medicinally active compounds that have cytotoxic properties and are of potential use in the treatment of cancer[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse and should germinate in the spring[]. 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[].