The home of a red spider lily is China, and it came to Japan before the dawn of history. It originally is a seed plant though, Japan's variety is a cloned plant growing from a bulb. So, it comes into flower simultaneously and is the same height. The colonies of this flower, large and small, can be found across the country in early autumn, and all of them were originally planted on purpose a long time ago. Being a beautiful flower though, it is thought to be inauspicious in Japan. Japanese people had long been planting this plant in graveyards, because the poisonous substance contained in the bulb repels all kinds of animals which may damage a buried body. As a red spider lily reminds Japanese people of graveyard, these beautiful flowers may have become a symbol of inauspiciousness.
Licensed tour guide, travel consultant,
Masahisa Takaki.
全国通訳案内士 高木聖久
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