Surprise

suprise lily

Lycoris squamigera is an herbaceous plant with basal, simple leaves, which are not present when the flowers emerge from the crown. The flowers are white or pink and fragrant.

These lilies are almost a surprise every year when they show up.  That’s what they do, just show up, with a stem and no foliage. This year is no exception, at least for me.

Lycoris squamigera1

Lycoris squamigera, the resurrection lily or surprise lily, is a plant in the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. It is also sometimes referred to as naked ladies (a name used for several other plants). It is believed to have originated in Japan or China. It is now cultivated as an ornamental in many places, and naturalized in Korea.

Lycoris squamigera is an herbaceous plant with basal, simple leaves, which are not present when the flowers emerge from the crown. The leaves sprout and grow in the spring, then die back during June; flowers appear in late July or early August. The flowers are white or pink and fragrant. The flowers spring dramatically from the ground in mid to late summer; it usually takes only four to five days from first emergence to full bloom.This suddenness is reflected in its common names: surprise lily, magic lily, and resurrection lily.


  1. “Lycoris Squamigera.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, (last edit March 22, 2021.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycoris_squamigera. Accessed July 29, 2021

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