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🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

Late summer Lycoris flowers signal autumn's arrival in South Korea

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Lycoris flowers, known for their unique blooming cycle where flowers appear without leaves, are signaling the arrival of autumn in South Korea.
  • These flowers, which bloom in late summer after their leaves have withered, symbolize "unrequited love" due to their inability to meet.
  • The Cheollipo Arboretum features various species of Lycoris, including Sprenger's Lycoris and native varieties, offering a late-summer floral display.

As the intense heat of late summer begins to wane in South Korea, a unique flower emerges, heralding the transition to autumn: the Lycoris, or 'Sangsa-hwa' in Korean. These striking blooms, appearing on bare stalks without any accompanying foliage, are a familiar sight in gardens and arboretums across the country.

Lycoris leaves emerge first in early spring, photosynthesize, and then wither away by April or May. The plant then relies on the nutrients stored in its bulb to produce flower stalks.

— Article textDescribing the unique growth cycle of the Lycoris flower.

The Lycoris, belonging to the Amaryllis family, is known for its distinctive life cycle. Its leaves emerge in early spring, photosynthesize, and then wither away by April or May. The plant then relies on the nutrients stored in its bulb to produce flower stalks, which rise to about 50-60 centimeters, culminating in a flower cluster about 6-7 centimeters in diameter. This phenomenon, where the leaves and flowers never appear together, gives the flower its name, which translates to 'longing for each other' in Korean, and its poignant meaning of 'unrequited love.'

Foreigners often refer to it as the 'Surprise Lily' due to its unexpected appearance in late summer, often in gardens cleared of weeds. The Cheollipo Arboretum, located in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, showcases a variety of Lycoris species from mid-August through September. Visitors can find them blooming sequentially around the large pond, within the woodland area, and along the paths overlooking the sea.

The name Lycoris, meaning 'longing for each other,' and its flower meaning of 'unrequited love' stem from the phenomenon where leaves and flowers never appear together.

— Article textExplaining the symbolism and naming of the Lycoris flower.

The arboretum cultivates several types, including Sprenger's Lycoris, noted for its deep pink petals with a unique blueish hue at the tips, and native Korean varieties like 'Wido Sangsa-hwa' and 'Jeju Sangsa-hwa.' The Lycoris genus also includes the closely related 'Kkot-mo-reut,' or Red Spider Lily, which blooms slightly later with red flowers and notably sprouts leaves in autumn after the flowers have faded.

Foreigners often refer to it as the 'Surprise Lily' due to its unexpected appearance in late summer, often in gardens cleared of weeds.

— Article textDescribing the common name and context of the Lycoris flower's appearance.

Planted in well-draining soil and mulched during winter, Lycoris bulbs, like tulips and daffodils, are typically planted in late autumn to undergo the necessary cold stratification before blooming the following year. The emergence of these vibrant flowers in the late summer sun offers a hopeful sign of the approaching autumn, a time when rice grains ripen in the paddies and fruit pods mature on the trees, signaling nature's cyclical renewal.

The emergence of these vibrant flowers in the late summer sun offers a hopeful sign of the approaching autumn.

— Article textReflecting on the symbolic meaning of the Lycoris flower's bloom.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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