HIGANBANA AND SIX :PART1

HIGANBANA AND SIX

It is the third week of September; paddy field is golden with the rice nearing ripening. Very soon the farmers, if they have not already entered, will enter the field to reap the golden harvest. In the adjacent fields there are soybean in their full growth, the pods getting filled up at an alarming rate. Everywhere it is beautiful to see. The sky is clear and deep blue. There is no mark of cloud. The sunshine is bright and dear. That is not the end. At the border of the fields, there are red mysterious flowers called Higanbana.
Shoots arrow out of the land, there are no leaves, no branches, just succulent shoots. About a foot height the tip of the shoot buds for a day and the next day six buds appear. Each bud grow into a flower, thus six flowers make up an inflorescence. There are no sepals, besides the extension of thalamus, just petals (hanabira) six anthers and a pistil. The six flowers grow in a perfectly radial position. Six petals in each flower also form a radial symmetry. Thus the six anthers lie adjacent to each other. The pistil is in the middle with three anthers on each side. All the anthers of the inflorescence make a large circle. This may appears like a spider web to the first time viewers. Thus this flower is commonly known as Red Spider Lily.

The six days around the vernal equinox is named as higan in Japanese language, which is the period of transition of souls from the world of human to the hells. This flowers which blooms at this period is called higanbana( bana/hana means flower). This is the only flower that the dead can see on their way to hell. The bulbs, which were stored by the wild lily in the summer, which produce branchless, leafless green shoots, are attractive, beautiful tubers, which are fatally poisonous. Who grows these wild flowers? Nobody!!
But the flowers are in the borders of the field. They protect the field from pests and predators. Let me craft a legend, I am good at it.
More than a thousand years ago, the wave of Buddhism was so strong in japan as it was just entering into this new land, that violence against animals was punishable by law . As the new broom sweeps better, the new religion made obstruction in every way of life. The wild animals, insects, pests and predators were big problem in the fields. The farmers complained the emperors and sought permission to kill the predators. The Emperors sought help of the Priest. The priests were to decide either to let the farmers kill the predators of the crop or let the farmers die of hunger. They decided to send a team of scholars to China to find the solution to this vicious circle virtuously. There was no ready made answer in China. Further accompanied by the Chinese Scholars, they started for India, which was the fountain of Buddhism. On the way they had to cross Himalayan mountains. Tired of journey and lack of villages to offer alms to the traveling monks, as Buddhist monks did not carry stocked food those days, they resort to wild roots and water from the brooks. Some of the scholars died of the poisonous tubers. They up rooted the tubers and carried them to China and Japan. These tubers were grown at the buffer region between the cultivated fields and the forests through which the predators crept into the field. It was so beautiful, delicious and juicy to look at, several people at different place and time tried and lost their life. The tubers were uprooted and stored in the corners of graveyard as no body ate from graveyard. Either to frighten people or because they were grown in the graveyard these flowers got other deadly names like: Shi-bito-bana (dead people’s flower), Jigoku-bana ( hell’s flower). It’s story how it got its English name is no less interesting. It was from their appearance. Whether common English name or botanical names they are mostly based on their appearances. Red Spider Lily (Lycoris radiate), Golden Spide Lily (L. aurea), White Spider Lily ( L. albiflora), Salmon/ orange Lily ( L. sanguinea), surprised Lily or Naked lily (L. squamigera). Some love to call it naked lady, and some readers looking for naked lady might have reached here. Sorry Guys!!
Some wrote in their poems and called it Soshika or the flower and leaf long for each other.
In Himalayas, its original home, it is called as flower of nirvana. Unlike many fruits and vegetables which were introduced into India in post Vedic era do not have names in Sanskrit (eg. Potato) this flower has a Sanskrit name “Manjyushage”.
It has 20 species spread in China, Japan, Korea, Indochina and Nepal. Botanist classify in the family Amaryllidaceae. Cytogenetically, it is sterile triploid, yet, fertile diploid (Pumilo species) do exist. I could find some exceptions for you. If you see carefully there are inflorescence with Seven and eight flowers too.

FIND MORE PICTURES IN PART2.