Hemerocallis

[David Nicholson]

Lovely display Jamie.

[Maggi Young]

Thanks, Jamie .... there is often a clue, I suppose! 

[Ragged Robin]

After my 2 week hiatus in the USA, I came back to a garden full of flowers.  Here are a few blooming between the raindrops.  The first 6 are registered cultivars, while the last 4 are my seedlings.  As you can see, I prefer the spider and UF types, especially in diploid Hemerocallis
.

Coral Eye Shadow (Roberts) diploid
Holly Dancer (Warrel) diploid
Loch Ness Monster (Coutorier) diploid
Lola Branham (Burkey) diploid
Heavenly Flight Of Angels (Gossard) diploid
Ojo de Dios (Roberts) diploid
ERC-901 (Exotic Rhythm x Capulina) (Vande) diploid
UNK-901 diploid (Vande)
UNK-902 diploid (Vande)
UNK-803 diploid (Vande)

It's very exciting to see new forms unfolding Jamie and I too like the more delicate spider Hemerocallis- how do you name them and what does UNK stand for?

I can see the resemblance in the undulating petals to the Loch Ness Monster and Holly Dancer is a great name for such a hot berry red 

I had no idea that some varieties are scented...

[Regelian]

Robin,

UNK is for unknown.  I use it for seedlings where the parent tag has been lost, plus a sequential number.  Although I can take a good guess what the parent were, I do not like registering misinformation.

The named varieties, like Holly Dancer, are often named after people.  I prefer to use fun names that stick in your head, although I am planning on naming one for my sisters house, 'On Shoestring Bay'.

Fragrance is often found in Hemerocallis.  Especially the varieties decended from H. citrina, H. lilioasphodelus and H. altissima are sweetly fragrant and often nocturnal bloomers that remain open the next day.  I have a few seedlings that really fill the garden with their notes. 

[Ragged Robin]

Wonderful and very interesting Jamie, thanks for all the info and I look forward to seeing more new H's.  Are the nocturnal ones pollinated by moths?

[Regelian]

Wonderful and very interesting Jamie, thanks for all the info and I look forward to seeing more new H's.  Are the nocturnal ones pollinated by moths?

Robin,

excellent question.  I've not read anything specific, but most fragrant nocturnal bloomers are visited by moths, which, with their large, sensitive antennae, would certainly be capable of finding the blossoms.  During the day, Hems are typically swarmed with hover flies, which feed on the pollen.  I have to pollinate flowers early on, otherwise the hover flies have hoovered it all up!

[Ragged Robin]

So you only have one day/minute to make the most of the pollen from each flower 

[Stephenb]

With a hint to the recent comments about diving out in the garden with torch to check up on a plant, I just did this to check on the scent of my Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus which came into flower today and, yes, a sweet fragrance was detected. Checked my other Hemerocallis currently in flower - H. dumortieri was also fragrant (does this mean that it's not dumortieri?), but middendorfii wasn't scented.

However, living this far north torches are not necessary at midnight... It also proves that darkness is not required for a good scent!

Thanks for prompting my midnight foray!

[Diane Clement]

I'm glad there's someone out there who knows something about Hemerocallis. 
My knowledge of Hemerocallis is zero. 
The following pictures are of a plant bought from Chen Yi under the name of Roscoea blanda (!) Its rather a tall plant, 1.5m
Jamie or anyone else any ideas what it might be?

[Maggi Young]

Must confess that I know so little about Hemerocallis that I believed them all to be scented   

[fermi de Sousa]

Must confess that I know so little about Hemerocallis that I believed them all to be scented   

But they are all edible! Great to add to a salad!
But choc-coated I don't know
cheers
fermi

[Regelian]

Diane,

yours looks to be H. citrina, a very fragrant nocturnal, but the similar H. altissima is also possible.  They are hard to seperate with a foto.  They are closely related.

And, yes, the flowers are quite edible and delicious in a salad.  The dried buds are often used in stir-fry and the fresh flowers have a pleasent acid note.

[Stephenb]

Some people (me included) get an unpleasant burning aftertaste from eating the raw flowers (in which case probably best not to), but most people really like the taste. I nevertheless use the buds a lot in stir-fry dishes and soups. Here's a picture of Day Lily buds (H. dumortieri) with Scorzonera hispanica buds ready for the wok...


 

[Lvandelft]

Here is a picture of H. citrina I grow. This was the best form of a batch of seedlings (Korea seed), which I many years ago acquired
from German nurseryman Hans Simon, who is known in Germany and abroad as one of the best plant knowledgable persons.

[Regelian]

Luit,

that is not H. citrina.  Attached is a typical plant.  It may have narrower tepals, as well, but not heavier.  Your is most likely a hybrid.

I'm off to work, but will get back to this subject!

H. citrina
H. thunbergii