09/16/2023
Every fall, surprise lilies suddenly appear in many gardens, including ours. This plant seems like a southern native since it pops up almost everywhere, but it is in fact an import. In 1854, when Japanese ports were first opened to US trade a few bulbs were brought back to our shores. Surprise lilies became hugely popular, particularly in the southern US, where they are hardy .
The "surprise" of one of the common names references the growth habit in which the stems and then flowers pop up in fall before the leaves emerge It seems like one day there is nothing there, the next this beautiful, dramatic flower is making a stunning statement. The leaves don't grow until the flower and stem have withered away, so the flower is never complete. It often flowers after a fall rainfall, hence some of the other common names hurricane, resurrection or equinox lily. In Japan, it reputedly has over a thousand names, here it has a myriad too! Ironically, this is not actually a lily but instead in the amaryllis family.
In China, Japan and Korea, where ππΊπ€π°π³πͺπ΄ π³π’π₯πͺπ’π΅π’ originate, it is often linked to death. The bulbs are poisonous and were planted in graveyards to deter scavengers since bodies were buried without coffins. They were also planted around rice paddies to repel rodents and other animals from stealing the crop. The blood-red flowers tied them even more closely to death. In Buddhist custom it is regarded as a heavenly flower that lines the river to the afterlife. Even in modern Japanese popular culture, these flowers signify death.
