Several years ago, one of our staff members brought some mystery bulbs into our office to share. I love bulbs and figured why not. They would be great additions to my daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips in the spring.
Little did I know when they came up in the spring there were no flowers.
Eventually the foliage dried up. What a bummer. But then in early August a surprise. Naked Ladies!
Lycoris squamigera is a hardy bulb. The surprise lily is native to Southeast China, Japan, and Korea and is found in moist disturbed areas in valleys and along streams. It was originally, mistakenly identified, and sold as Amaryllis halli.
The term Naked Ladies comes from the behavior of the plant, which sends up greenery in the spring, eventually dying back to nothing by the latter part of spring and early summer. Then when August arrives, the plant sprouts a stem without leaves
with a big, impressive flower resembling a small Amaryllis similar to the ones sold at Christmas.
The stem without leaves is why the plant earned its common name, "naked lady".
The genus name, Lycoris, honors the Roman actress and mistress of Marc Anthony. The specific epithet, squamigera, means "bearing scales." This references the small scales on the flower petals that cause an iridescent sparkle.
The plants in this genus are commonly known as the resurrection flower, surprise lily, or magic lily. Many of the common names originate from the bulbs' unusual growth habit. The foliage appears in the spring and then dies in the summer, and the plant flowers appear to rise from the dead by late summer on naked stems.
This information is from NC State:
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lycoris-squamigera/
North Carolina State Extension gives a good description of growth and requirements.
I had confused this myself with another plant with the common name of 'Naked Lady'.
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/amaryllis-belladonna/
Amarylis belladona has other common names besides Naked Lady including Amaryllis Lily, August Lily, Belladonna Lily, Jersey Lily, March Lily, and Resurrection Lily. Which is exactly why using the Latin name of a plant is important.
The foliage in the spring looks similar to daffodil. But no flowers appear until the foliage dries up and disappears. Then, suddenly, a flower stalk begins to appear. This stalk stretches up to three feet.
And then the flowers, which are fragrant, open.
These can be cut and placed in a vase indoors. These flowers will last quite a while, up to a week.
So, keep your eye out for Naked Lady Lilies.
