Hemerocallis species
Family: Hemerocallidaceae
What it is like
Hemerocallis species is a PERENNIAL growing to 1.2 m (4ft). It is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
Height (m): 1.2
Where it is found
Not known in the wild.
A range of garden hybrids.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Leaves and young shoots - cooked. They have a delicious sweet flavour, but must be consumed when very young or else they become fibrous. Flowers and flower buds - raw or cooked. The quality varies from cultivar to cultivar. All are pleasantly sweet and crunchy, though some leave an unpleasant after-taste in the mouth. In general, those with yellow or scented flowers are less desirable than those with brown to red flowers. Root - raw or cooked.
Medicine
Rating: 1
The juice of the roots is an effective antidote in cases of arsenic poisoning. A tea made from the boiled roots is used as a diuretic.
Other
Rating:
The tough dried foliage is plaited into cord and used for making footwear.
How it is grown
There are many cultivars of garden origin in this genus that cannot be placed as part of a species simply because they are the result of many generations of hybridization. In general they all have edible flowers, young shoots and roots, though the quality will vary considerably from cultivar to cultivar. The following notes are general for the genus. Succeeds in most soils, including dry ones, preferring a rich moist soil. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Succeeds in short grass if the soil is moist. Succeeding in sun or shade, it produces more flowers in a sunny position though these flowers can be shorter-lived in very sunny positions. Prefers a pH between 6 and 7. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. Individual flowers are very short-lived, they open in the late afternoon and fade in the following morning. Plants take a year or two to become established after being moved. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits. The plants are very susceptible to slug and snail damage, the young growth in spring is especially at risk.
Propagating it: Seed - sow in the middle of spring in a greenhouse. Germination is usually fairly rapid and good, pot up the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow the plants on for their first winter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring. Hemerocallis cultivars will not breed true from seed, though seedlings do offer an opportunity to develop superior varieties for eating. Division in spring or after flowering in late summer or autumn. Division is very quick and easy, succeeding at almost any time of the year. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Best place to grow:
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness:
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Dry, moist
Things to keep in mind
Large quantities of the leaves are said to be hallucinogenic. Blanching the leaves removes this hallucinatory component. (This report does not make clear what it means by blanching, it could be excluding light from the growing shoots or immersing in boiling water.)