Spider Lily "Naked Ladies"

Spider lily plant called “naked ladies” because there are no leaves when the flower is in bloom. They come in several red, pink, white, and yellow colors.

Lycoris squamigera produces its strappy dark green leaves in spring. By summer they disappear and you see no sign of the plant until fall, when the lilac-pink flowers appear out of nowhere and grow to 18 inches tall. Zones 5-10. 

Clusters of purple, red, pink, white or yellow summer flowers. Lycoris radiata is the red spider lily. Lycoris squamigera is the trumpet-shaped pink belladonna lily that blooms in late summer to early fall. Lycoris africana is bright yellow. Lycoris x albiflora is the white fall spider lily.

Plant bulbs from spring through late summer. May not bloom the first fall. Narrow leaves appear in spring but die down before the plant blooms.

Travelers to Japan in late September can travel to Kinchuakuda Park in Saitama Prefecture (near Tokyo) to see vast fields of the beautiful red lilies.

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