• Image of Lycoris sanguinea var. kiusiana|Japan|T. Izumi

    Photo by T. Izumi taken at Japan

  • Image of Lycoris sanguinea var. kiusiana|Japan|B. Yinger

    Photo by B. Yinger taken at Japan

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Lycoris sanguinea var. kiusiana

Kyushu Orange Surprise Lily

This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.

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Item #: 2403

Zones: 5b to 7a

Dormancy: Summer

Height: 12" tall

Culture: Sun to Light Shade

Origin: Japan

Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)


We are pleased to share another of the wonderful August-flowering surprise lilies. The short lily-like leaves of Lycoris sanguinea var. kiusiana appear in late winter/early spring and go dormant by early summer. In midsummer, 1' tall stems appear seemingly overnight and the flowers burst forth like a giant orange starburst. A mass of Lycoris sanguinea in the woodland garden is quite stunning. Remember that surprise lilies often take a year or two to settle in before deciding to flower, but summer moisture will greatly enhance summer flowering. Lycoris sanguinea var. kiusiana needs a really cold winter to flower well, so we have not found it to flower reliably in Zone 7b and south.