Day Lily

(Hemerocallis fulva)

 

   

 

Color Photograph: Copyright Nearctica.com, Inc.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva L)

Alien: Native of Europe and Asia.

Identification: Flowers large, orange to orange-yellow with projecting orange stamens. Flowers project upward, not nodding. Flowering stalks leafless. Leaves elongate, grasslike, clustering at the base of the plant. Plant 3 to 6 feet in height.

Distribution: Throughout eastern and central North America. Also occurs in the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada.

Habitat: Day Lily is an escape from gardens and is common in wet, disturbed habitats such as road ditches and along streams, rivers, and ponds.

Flowering period: July to August.

Similar Species: The orange-yellow, upwardly positioned flowers, and leafless stalks are all distinctive features of Day Lily.

Comments: Day Lily is an escape from gardens, but is common in the wild. The flower buds are edible and used in many oriental dishes. The buds are a thickening agent and can be used for many of the same purposes as okra.

Copyright Nearctica.com, Inc. 2003. All rights reserved.