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Common Name:

General Information

Hemerocallis exaltata is a perennial plant that can grow up to 1.00 metres tall.
It has edible, medicinal and miscellaneous uses.

Known Hazards

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[].)

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - Japan, it is only found on Tobishima Island, a small Islet off W. Japan.

Habitat

Meadows[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in most soils[], including dry ones, preferring a rich moist soil[, ]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Succeeding in sun or shade, it produces more flowers in a sunny position though these flowers can be shorter-lived in very sunny positions[]. Succeeds in short grass if the soil is moist[]. Prefers a pH between 6 and 7[].
This species is hardy to about -15°c[].
Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[].
Some roots are short and enlarged, others long with spindle-shaped tuberous ends. The plant forms a compact clump[], but it also produces rhizomes that tend to spread[].
Individual flowers are very short-lived, they open in the morning and wither in the evening[].
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[].

Edible Uses

Leaves and young shoots - cooked[, ]. They must be consumed when very young or else they become fibrous[].
Flowers and flower buds - raw or cooked[, ]. They can be dried and used as a thickener in soups etc. The flower buds contain about 43mg vitamin C per 100g, 983 IU vitamin A and 3.1% protein[].

Medicinal

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 Uses

The tough dried foliage is plaited into cord and used for making footwear[].

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[].
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.