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Common Name: Yellow Day Lily

General Information

Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.60 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

Original habitat is obscure, possibly China. An occasional garden escape in Britain.

Habitat

Rocky mountain woods, wet meadows and riversides on foothills of the S.E. Alps in Europe[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in most soils[], including dry ones, preferring a rich moist soil and a sunny position[] but tolerating partial shade[, ]. Plants flower less freely in a shady position though the flowers can last longer in such a position[]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Succeeds in short grass if the soil is moist[]. Prefers a pH between 6 and 7[].
Plants are very cold-hardy, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°c[].
A very vigorous plant, spreading by underground rhizomes[]. The plant has a fibrous root system with occasional spindle-like swellings[].
Cultivated as a food and medicinal plant in Japan[].
Individual flowers are short-lived, they open at night and last for 20 - 76 hours. The plant produces a succession of blooms over a period of about 2 months[]. The flowers are fragrant[]. The flowers have a honeysuckle-like scent and this can pervade the air for a considerable distance when warmed by the summer sunshine[].
Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[].
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 - raw or cooked like asparagus or celery[, , ]. They must be consumed when very young or else they become fibrous[].
Flower buds - raw or cooked. They taste somewhat like green beans[, ]. They contain about 43mg vitamin C per 100g, 983 IU vitamin A and 3.1% protein[].
Flowers - raw or cooked[, ]. They can be dried and used as a thickener in soups etc[]. If the flowers are picked just as they start to wither they can be used as a condiment[]. The flowers are a traditional food in China where they are steamed and then dried[].
Root - cooked[, ]. They taste like a blend of sweet corn and salsify[]. We have found them to be tender but fairly bland with a slight sweetness[]. The swollen roots are quite small and are only really worthwhile using if the plant is being dug up for divisions or some other reason[].

Medicinal

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 Uses

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 45cm apart each way[]. The dead leaves should be left on the ground in the winter to ensure effective cover[].

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.