These scarlet flowers herald Autumn here in East Texas and are steeped in Chinese and Japanese legend. Since they usually bloom near cemeteries, they are described in translations of the Lotus Sutra as ominous flowers that grow in Diyu (also known as Hell) and guide the dead into the next reincarnation. Some legends have it that when you see someone that you may never meet again these flowers would bloom along the path. Perhaps because of these sorrowful legends, Japanese people often used these flower in funerals. The leaves of this flower do not emerge until the blooms have withered and died. Thus, the leaves and blossoms never meet. There is a reference to this unique growth pattern in the manhwa Bride of the Water God by Yun Mi-kyung, which is a hopeful but tragic tale of two lovers who long for each other but, as fate would have it, can never be together. The Spider Lily is surely a most strange and unique flower.