Lycoris foliage

Lycoris radiata Modern Japanese foliage

The key to determining which lycoris will grow well in your area is foliage emergence time.  Lycoris, as a group, are summer flowering bulbs, whose foliage emerges after flowering and grows during the winter season.  Lycoris can be divided into two groups…those whose foliage emerges in fall/early winter, and those whose foliage emerges in late winter. Above is a photo of the fall-emerging Lycoris radiata that I just took here at Plant Delights.  Lycoris with early emerging foliage has a tough time thriving where winter temperatures drop below 0 degrees F in winter. Each clone of a species or hybrid group does have varying cold tolerances.  Temperatures near 0F can severely burn the foliage, which keeps the plant from producing enough food to flower. Consistent years at or below 0 degrees F will eventually deplete the bulb of food, resulting in death.  Lycoris species like L. x squamigera, L. sprengeri, L. longituba, L. chinensis, and a few others have foliage that emerges in February in NC.  In colder climates, the foliage does emerge until early spring, which prevents winter damage.

1 thought on “Lycoris foliage”

  1. It looks very similar to me to a spider plant, lol which my Mom has a knack for killing.. The ‘green thumb’ skipped her generation

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