Hemerocallis fulva
Hemerocallis fulva, the orange day-lily, tawny daylily, corn lily, tiger daylily, fulvous daylily, ditch lily or Fourth of July lily, is a species of daylily native to Asia. It is very widely grown as an ornamental plant in temperate climates for its showy flowers and ease of cultivation. It is not a true lily in the genus Lilium, but gets its common name from the superficial similarity of its flowers to Lilium and from the fact that each flower lasts only one day.
Etymology
The genus name Hemerocallis is from , literally, beautiful day. In Ancient Greek, it referred to martagon lily and describes the daily nature of flower opening.The species name is from meaning reddish yellow in reference to the flower's color.
Description
It is an herbaceous perennial plant growing from tuberous roots, with stems tall. The leaves are linear, long and broad. The flowers are across, orange-red, with a pale central line on each tepal; they are produced from early summer through late autumn on scapes of ten through twenty flowers, with the individual flowers opening successively, each one lasting only one day. Its fruit is a three-valved capsule long and broad which splits open at maturity and releases seeds.Both diploid and triploid forms occur in the wild, but most cultivated plants are triploids which rarely produce seeds and primarily reproduce vegetatively by stolons. At least four botanical varieties are recognized, including the typical triploid var. fulva, the diploid, long-flowered var. angustifolia, the triploid var. Flore Pleno, which has petaloid stamens, and the evergreen var. aurantiaca.
Distribution
Orange daylily is native to Asia from the Caucasus east through the Himalaya through China, Japan, and Korea. Orange daylily persists where planted, making them a very good garden plant.Hemerocallis fulva var. fulva has escaped from cultivation across much of the United States and parts of Canada and has become a weedy or invasive species. It persists also where dumped and spreads more or less rapidly by vegetative increase into woods and fields and along roadsides and ditches, hence its common name ditch lily. It forms dense stands that exclude native vegetation, and is often mistaken for a native species.
Hemerocallis fulva is an invasive non-native plant in parts of the United States and is included on lists of plants to avoid planting in some states, including Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and other mid-Atlantic states.
Cultivation
Hemerocallis fulva has been cultivated in Europe, and naturalized in many countries there, since at least the 16th century. Several modern cultivars exist which are grown as ornamental plants. As most of the varieties in cultivation are sterile triploids, and all spread via subterranean bulb offsets, the most common method of propagation is by root- or bulb-division.H. fulva are long-lived perennials, and are adaptable to a range of climatic conditions. The species is a vigorous grower in nearly any location, thriving even difficult areas where other plants do not thrive. The plants grow well in full sun to open shade, and are drought tolerant. H. fulva is winter hardy to UDSA Zone 4.
All parts of Hemerocallis species are seriously and often fatally toxic to cats and somewhat toxic to dogs. Cats are particularly vulnerable as their grooming behaviour causes them to lick accidentally transferred pollen from their fur.