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Asphodelaceae FAMILY

Hemerocallis fulva

Hemerocallis fulva

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

Large quantities of the leaves are said to be hallucinogenic[1, 2]. Blanching the leaves removes this hallucinatory component[3]. (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[PFAF].)

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

This species is hardy to about -20°c[4]. Succeeds in most soils[5], including dry ones, though it prefers a rich moist soil[6] and a sunny position but tolerating partial shade[7, 6]. Plants flower less freely in a shady position though the flowers can last longer in such a position[3]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Succeeds in short grass if the soil is moist[5]. Prefers a pH between 6 and 7[8]. Hemerocallis fulva is treated here as consisting of seven varieties, some of which have previously been treated here as distinct species. These varieties are:- Hemerocallis fulva angustifolia Baker, Long cultivated, this form is not known in the wild in China. Hemerocallis fulva aurantiaca (Baker) M.Hotta. Native to southern Japan, this form is usually evergreen. See separate entry for more details. Hemerocallis fulva fulva. This includes the double-flowered form 'Kwanso' Hemerocallis fulva littorea (Makino) M.Hotta. Native to southern Japan and Korea, A usually evergreen form growing in rocky places near the sea.. Hemerocallis fulva longituba (Miq.) Maxim. Native to central and southern Japan, growing in moist grassland. Hemerocallis fulva pauciflora M.Hotta & M.Matsuoka. Native to central Japan Hemerocallis fulva sempervirens (Araki) M.Hotta. Native to southern Japan and Taiwan, this form is usually evergreen. A very ornamental plant[5], it is cultivated in China and Japan for its edible flowers and leaves, there are many named varieties[8]. Individual flowers are short-lived, opening in the morning and withering in the evening of the same day. The plant, however, produces a succession of flowers over a period of about 6 weeks[3]. The sterile cultivar 'Kwanzo' has double flowers, it has been especially mentioned for these flowers which are said to be crunchy with a nutty aftertaste[2]. 'Flore Pleno' is another form with double-flowers that have a delicious taste[PFAF]. The sterile cultivar 'Europa' is very vigorous, with long stolons, and each piece of root is capable of growing into a new plant[3]. This cultivar, which is the form usually supplied from nurseries, succeeds in lawns and has even been known to grow through tarmac[3]. Plants take a year or two to become established after being moved[8]. The roots have spindle-shaped swellings and spread freely, the plant can become invasive[3]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[8]. Many forms of this plant are sterile triploids, probably of garden origin, and do not set seed[3]. The pollen, however, is fertile and can be used to fertilize other plants[3]. The plants are very susceptible to slug and snail damage, the young growth in spring is especially at risk[8].

Propagation

Seed - sow in the middle of spring in a greenhouse. Germination is usually fairly rapid and good. Prick out 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[PFAF]. Division in spring or after flowering in late summer or autumn[8]. Division is very quick and easy, succeeding at almost any time of the year[PFAF]. 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. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Hemerocallis+fulva>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]The Plantsman. Vol. 7. 1985 - 1986. — ? · Royal Horticultural Society · 1985 · ISBN - ↩︎Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants..
  2. [2]The Plantsman. Vol. 9. 1986 - 1987. — ? · Royal Horticultural Society · 1986 · ISBN - ↩︎Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants including Carya spp and Crocus sativus.
  3. [3]Hemerocallis. Day Lilies. — Erhardt. W. · Batsford. · 1992 · ISBN 0-7134-7065-8 ↩︎A comprehensive book on the species with a short section on their uses.
  4. [4]Perennials. Volumes 1 and 2. — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1991 · ISBN 0-330-30936-9 ↩︎Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
  5. [5]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  6. [6]Popular Hardy Perennials. — Sanders. T. W. · Collingridge · 1926 · ISBN - ↩︎A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.
  7. [7]The Garden. Volume 112. — RHS. · Royal Horticultural Society · 1987 · ISBN - ↩︎Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS. In particular, there are articles on plants that are resistant to honey fungus, oriental vegetables, Cimicifuga spp, Passiflora species and Cucurbits.
  8. [8]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  9. [9]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  10. [10]Wild Food Plants in South Korea; Market Presence, New Crops, and Exports to the United States — Pemberton R.W. & Nam Sook Lee · 1996 · http://www.jstor.org/stable/4255805 ↩︎
  11. [11]Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. — Harrington. H. D. · University of New Mexico Press · 1967 · ISBN 0-8623-0343-9 ↩︎A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.
  12. [12]Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. — Brooklyn Botanic Garden · Brooklyn Botanic Garden · 1986 · ISBN - ↩︎A small booklet packed with information.
  13. [13]Famine Foods listed in the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. — Reid. B. E. · Southern Materials Centre; Taipei · 1977 · ISBN - ↩︎A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.
  14. [14]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  15. [15]A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. — Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. · Van Nostrand Reinhold · 1982 · ISBN 0442222009 ↩︎Very readable.
  16. [16]Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. — Polunin. O. · Oxford University Press · 1969 · ISBN 0192176218 ↩︎An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.
  17. [17]Medicinal Plants of China — Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. · Reference Publications, Inc. · 1985 · ISBN 0-917256-20-4 ↩︎Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
  18. [18]Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World. — Tanaka. T. & Nakao S. · Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo · 1976 · ISBN - ↩︎The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
  19. [19]Chinese Materia Medica. — Stuart. Rev. G. A. · Taipei. Southern Materials Centre · 1911 · ISBN - ↩︎A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.
  20. [20]Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). — Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. · Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. · 1986 · ISBN - ↩︎Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
  21. [21]Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea — World Health Organisation, Manila · 1998 · ISBN 92 9061 120 0 ↩︎An excellent book with terse details about the medicinal uses of the plants with references to scientific trials. All plants are described, illustrated and brief details of habitats given.
  22. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎