Lycoris aurea - Golden Spider Lily

Lycoris aurea, as its species name suggests, offers inflorescences of intense yellow, tending towards orange. This very beautiful bulbous species, native to subtropical areas of China, is rare in cultivation and not very hardy, but truly spectacular where it thrives. In winter, it forms opulent clumps of broad ribbon-like leaves with steel highlights that disappear at the end of spring. The bulb rests in summer in dry soil, then generally blooms in October in our climates. Its large umbels of flowers, reminiscent of deciduous azaleas, are carried at the end of sturdy stems that emerge directly from the ground. This lycoris, the largest of the genus, is a collector's plant for the knowledgeable gardener, which will delight with its surprising flowering one beautiful autumn day, emerging from the ground as if by magic.

Lycoris aurea is a plant of the amaryllidaceae family, just like nerines, snowdrops, and daffodils. It is native to southern China, but also to southern Vietnam, Taiwan, and Japan. Lycoris grow in a natural habitat of deciduous or evergreen woodlands, experiencing a continental climate with hot and humid summers for the growing season, and cold and dry winters for the dormant period. In our latitudes, these plants adapt their vegetative cycle by deploying their foliage in winter and flowering in late summer or autumn.

Lycoris aurea grows in its country of origin on limestone soil but shows some tolerance. It is a herbaceous plant with a large, elongated bulb, covered with brown skin. It first shows growth with its flowering in October, after Lycoris radiata. It multiplies vegetatively by producing bulblets on the periphery of the mother bulb but does not always produce seeds. For 2 to 3 weeks, the plant produces flower stalks about 60-70 cm (24-28in) tall, carrying a wide umbel about 20 cm (8in) in diameter, composed of 3 to 8 yellow flowers with narrow, wavy, reflexed petals. The centre of the flower has very long stamens also curved upwards. After flowering, ribbon-like leaves appear, reaching 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24in) long and 5 cm (2in) wide, arranged in clumps. They are a slightly glaucous, very shiny green, with each leaf crossed by a silver midline. The leaves die at the end of spring, and the bulb is then dormant until the end of summer. During this summer dormancy period, the bulb must be protected from excessive humidity and should not be disturbed once established.

The two species aurea and traubii, which resemble each other, can be distinguished by the brightness of the foliage of the former as well as by the presence of remnants of leaves from the previous season cohabiting with the new flowering in the Lycoris aurea.

This bulbous plant is well adapted to Mediterranean climates and the south Atlantic coast, but it is essential to grow it in pots further north and protect them during winter. Lycoris flowers make excellent cut flowers, with good vase life. In southern regions, they can be planted alongside nerines, agapanthus, and Amaryllis belladonna in well-drained soil in a warm exposure, but they should be given partial shade in light woodland or the shelter of a large deciduous bush as they don't like scorching sun. All these plants are easy-to-grow in large pots and used as focal points on a terrace, in an exotic or contemporary style.