A daylily, day lily or ditch-lily is a flowering plant in the genus Hemerocallis , a member of the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae, native to Asia. Despite the common name, it is not taxonomically classified in the lily genus. Gardening enthusiasts and horticulturists have long bred Hemerocallis species for their attractive flowers; a select few species of the genus have edible petals, while some are extremely toxic. Thousands of cultivars have been registered by the American Daylily Society, the only internationally recognized registrant according to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants. The plants are perennial, whose common name alludes to its flowers, which typically last about a day.
Description
Daylilies on Block Island, Rhode Island.
The orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) in China
Hemerocallis are herbaceous clump-forming perennials growing from rhizomes, some produce spreading stolons. They have a fibrous or fibrous-tuberous root system with contractile roots. The tuberous roots are used to store nutrients and water. The arching leaves are produced from the base of the plant (basal) and lack petioles, they are strap-like, long, linear lanceolate leaves and grow in the shape of water spraying up from a fountain, curving downward as it falls. The crown is the small portion between the leaves and the roots. The large showy flowers are produced on scapes. The slightly irregular shaped flowers are arranged in helicoid cymes, or produced solitarily. The scapes of some species and cultivars produce small leafy proliferations arising from the nodes or in bracts. The proliferations are clones that root when planted.
Typically Hemerocallis flowers have three similar petals and three sepals, collectively called tepals, and each has a midrib. The centermost part of the flower, called the throat, may be a color differing from the more distal areas of the tepals. Each flower has six stamens joined to the perianth tube, each with a...
