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Lycoris aurea

Common name:	Golden Spider Lily	Family:	Amaryllidaceae
Author:	(L'Hér.)Herb.	Botanical references:	200, 266
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat:	oblanceolate, ca. 3 × 0.5 cm, margin strongly undulate. Stamens Shady and moist places on slopes and in rock crevices at elevations from 100 - 2300 metres[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Amaryllis aurea[G]
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	aurea = golden;
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China

Physical Characteristics

Bulb growing to 0.6m by 0.1m . It is hardy to zone 7. It is in flower from May to July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

By Walls, By South Wall.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Cytotoxic; Poultice.

The crushed bulb is used as a poultice for treating burns, scalds and ulcers[218].
The bulb contains lycorine, which is cytotoxic[218].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a deep well-drained sandy soil rich in organic matter in full sun[200]. Plants require a dry period when they become dormant in the summer and they also dislike winter wet[218].
Hardy to at least -15°c[200].
Plants are attractive to slugs and need to be protected from them[200].
Very sensitive to root disturbance, the bulbs can take some years to become well established[200].

Propagation

The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse and should germinate in the spring[200]. 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[200].

Cultivars

'': There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Amaryllidaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

Readers Comments

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Lycoris+aurea
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Lycoris+aurea

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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.