XHemerocallis fulva - Orange DaylilyX
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Orange Daylily, Tawny Daylily, Tiger Daylily, or Ditch Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva), family Liliaceae (Lily)
Another example of a beautiful plant that has become too much of a good thing in the United States. This plant has been classed as an invasive weed throughout much of the United States and Canada. This species is native to Asia from the Caucas east through the Himalaya to China, Japan, Korea, and southeastern Russia. While not true lilies, their name comes from the look-alike nature of the flowers, which bloom for only a day. They certainly are striking looking which has made them popular ornamentals. There are only 6 species in the genus Hemerocallis. Per Flora of North America is this: 'Following an earlier European introduction from Asia, Hemerocallis fulva was brought to North America in the seventeenth century. This commonly cultivated daylily, the wild type, is distinguished as cultivar 'Europa' Stout and is a self-sterile triploid producing no seed. Essentially, it is a large, complex clone. Plants persist from cultivation or have arisen from root or rhizome fragments, which are capable of plant regeneration. Cultivar 'Kwanso' Regel, another ancient garden selection, persists in many areas along with the wild type and has fully doubled flowers. In eastern Asia, both diploids and triploids occur in the H. fulva complex and have been the basis for extensive breeding and tetraploid cultivar selection'. End quote.
USES: Hemerocallis fulva is useful in varied ways; edible, medicinal, and even weaving. Per the wonderful U.K. website Plants For a Future is this:
EDIBLE Leaves and young shoots - cooked. An asparagus or celery substitute. An excellent sweet tasting vegetable, though some caution is recommended [large quantities of the leaves are said to be hallucinogenic. Blanching the leaves removes this hallucinatory component]. The leaves need to be eaten whilst still very young since they quickly become fibrous. Flowers - raw or cooked. The petals are thick and crunchy, making very pleasant eating raw, with a nice sweetness at the base because of the nectar. The flowers can also be dried and used as a thickener in soups etc. In this case, they are picked when somewhat withered and closed. A rich source of iron. Flower buds - raw or cooked. A pea-like flavour. Can be dried and used as a relish. The dried flower contains about 9.3% protein. 25% fat!?, 60% carbohydrate (rich in sugar), 0.9% ash. It is rich in vitamin A. Tubers - raw or cooked. A nutty flavour. Young tubers are best, though the central portion of older tubers is also good.
MEDICINAL Diuretic, febrifuge, laxative (mild). The flowers are anodyne, antiemetic, antispasmodic, depurative, febrifuge and sedative. In China they are used as an anodyne for women in childbirth. An extract of the flowers is used as a blood purifier. The rhizome has shown antimicrobial acivity, it is also tuberculostatic and has an action against the parasitic worms that cause filariasis. It is used in Korea to treat oppilation, jaundice, constipation and pneumonia. The juice of the roots is an effective antidote in cases of arsenic poisoning. The root also has a folk history of use in the treatment of cancer - extracts from the roots have shown antitumour activity. A tea made from the boiled roots is used as a diuretic.
OTHER The tough dried foliage is plaited into cord and used for making footwear. Plants form a spreading clump and are suitable for ground cover when spaced about 90cm apart each way. The dead leaves should be left on the ground in the winter to ensure effective cover.
Flora of North America provides excellent botanical information of the species, here.
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Plant location: Photographed near Brighton Colorado on July 3, 2008. Found on roadsides, waste places, homesteads, open forests, and stream banks which was the case with our sighting. The species is found throughout most of the United States and Canada. See the BONAP distribution map, here.
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Bloom period: Early summer to late autumn. The individual flowers last only one day, hence the name Daylily. The USDA recognizes varieties of fulva: fulva, kwanso, and rosea. This specimen could be one of them but we are not trained to make that determination.Foliage -
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