Daylily

Daylily
Hybrid daylily "Tom Collins"
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Liliopsida
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Hemerocallidaceae
Genus:	Hemerocallis
Species
See text.

The daylilies comprise the small genus Hemerocallis of flowering plants in the family Hemerocallidaceae. Despite the name they are not true lilies (Lilium, Liliaceae). The name Hemerocallis is based on the Greek words for day and beauty, which reflects the fact that the individual flowers last for only one day. The flowers of most species open at sunrise and wither at sunset, to be replaced by another one (sometimes two or none) on the same stem the next day; some species are night-blooming. Because individual flowers are short-lived, they do not make good cut flowers for formal flower arranging although they otherwise make good cut flowers as new flowers will continue to open on cut stems over several days.

Originally from Eurasia, native from Europe to China, Korea, and Japan, their large showy flowers have made them popular worldwide, and there are over 60,000 registered named cultivars. Only a few cultivars are scented; some will rebloom later in the season, particularly if their developing seed pods are removed.

The alternating lanceolate leaves are grouped into fans (a clump also containing the roots and the crown). The crown of a daylily is the small white portion of the stem, between the leaves and the roots. This crown is an essential part of the fan. Along the scape, proliferations may form at nodes or in bracts. These proliferations form roots when planted and are the exact clones of the parent plant. Some daylilies show spindlelike widenings at the roots, used mostly for water storage.

The flower consists of three petals and three sepals, collectively called tepals, each with a midrib in the same or in a contrasting color. The centermost section of the flower, called the throat, has usually a different and contrasting color. There are six stamens, each with a two-lobed anther. After pollination, the flower forms a pod.

Daylilies can be grown in USDA plant hardiness zones 1 through 11, making them some of the most adaptable landscape plants. Most all of the cultivars have been developed within the last 100 years. The large-flowered clear yellow 'Hyperion', introduced in the 1920s, heralded a return to gardens of the once-dismissed daylily and is still widely available. Daylily breeding has been a specialty above all in the United States, where the heat- and drought-resistant qualities of Hemerocallis made them garden standbys during the later 20th century. New cultivar introductions have sold for thousands of dollars, but sturdy and prolific introductions soon reach reasonable prices.

Hemerocallis fulva, the Tawny Daylily and the sweet-smelling H. flava, the Lemon Lily, were early imports from England to 17th century American gardens that soon established themselves along roadsides. The Tawny Daylily especially is so widely feral that it is often mistaken for a native American wildflower.

Food uses

Dried golden needles

The flowers of some species are edible and are sold (fresh or dried) in Asian markets as golden needles. They are used in hot and sour soup and moo shu pork. The young green leaves and the tubers of some (but not all) species are also edible. The plant has also been used for medicinal purposes.

The daylily petals are delicious when picked directly off the plant after blooming. In doing so, make sure that they are free of pesticides. Therefore they should be "organic" when consumed. Their flavors range from peppery to peachy. Also, make sure they are daylilies and not true lilies (Lilium, family Liliaceae). There is a difference between the flowers and the lilies can be very toxic if consumed. Your best bet would be to purchase a guide for edible flowers when experimenting with them.

Species

• Hemerocallis altissima Stout
• Hemerocallis aurantiaca Baker
• Hemerocallis citrina Baroni
• Hemerocallis cordata C.P.Thunberg ex A.Murray
• Hemerocallis coreana Nakai
• Hemerocallis darrowiana S.Y.Hu
• Hemerocallis dumortierii Morr
• Hemerocallis esculenta Koidz.
• Hemerocallis exaltata Stout
• Hemerocallis × exilis Satake
• Hemerocallis flava L : Lemon Lily

Hemerocallis minor dried seed pods

• Hemerocallis forrestii Diels
• Hemerocallis fulva L. : Tawny Dailily
• Hemerocallis hakuunensis Nakai
• Hemerocallis hongdoensis M.G.Chung & S.S.Kang
• Hemerocallis × hybrida (Hort.)
• Hemerocallis japonica C.P.Thunberg ex A.Murray
• Hemerocallis lilio-asphodelus L
• Hemerocallis littorea Makino
• Hemerocallis micrantha Nakai
• Hemerocallis middendorffii Trautv. & Mey.
• Hemerocallis minor Mill.
• Hemerocallis multiflora Stout
• Hemerocallis nana W.W.Sm. & Forrest

Hemerocallis thunbergii

• Hemerocallis × ochroleuca (Hort. ex Bergmans)
• Hemerocallis pedicellata Nakai
• Hemerocallis plicata Stapf
• Hemerocallis sempervirens Araki
• Hemerocallis sendaica Ohwi
• Hemerocallis serotina Focke
• Hemerocallis × stoutiana Traub (Hort.)
• Hemerocallis sulphurea Nakai
• Hemerocallis taeanensis S.S.Kang & M.G.Chung
• Hemerocallis thunbergii Baker
• Hemerocallis × traubara Moldenke (Hort.)
• Hemerocallis × traubiana Moldenke (Hort.)
• Hemerocallis vespertina Hara
• Hemerocallis washingtonia Traub
• Hemerocallis × yeldara Traub (Hort.)
• Hemerocallis × yeldiana Traub (Hort.)
• Hemerocallis yezoensis Hara

External links

• The American Hemerocallis Society
• Wikibooks: How to grow Daylilies
• Oxford Gardens Daylilies