Distribution and establishment of Lycoris radiata var. radiata (Amaryllidaceae) in the Arkansas (U.S.A.) flora
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17348/jbrit.v20.i2.1476Keywords:
Amaryllidaceae, surprise lily, red spider lily, Arkansas, establishment, LycorisAbstract
Naturalized Lycoris radiata var. radiata was not well-studied in Arkansas prior to 2024, and as a result, the species was known outside of cultivation only from Clark, Ouachita, and Drew counties, and equivocal as to how this sterile, triploid taxon establishes wild populations in the state. Field work in southern and western Arkansas during 2024 and 2025, focusing on the occurrence and establishment ecology of L. radiata var. radiata, yielded 16 additional county records of naturalized plants and a putative mechanism facilitating establishment in the flora. While many of the escaped/naturalized occurrences of L. radiata var. radiata are tied directly to source pools of cultivated plants, some instances are more remote, indicating that one or more propagule dispersal mechanisms exist. We propose a mechanism of naturalization from asexual production of bulblets and their migration toward the surface of substrate — exposed bulblets at the soil surface then provide opportunity for separation from the parent colony and subsequent dispersal via multiple vectors, primarily water movement, to remote locations for establishment.
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