365 Urban Species. #207: Daylily

Photo by urbpan. Location: Olmsted Park, Boston.

Urban species #Daylily: Hemerocallis fulva

Daylily is an attractive ornamental flower that is widely planted. They are a popular choice to decorate the ends of driveways and around mailboxes. In the city they are chosen as orange accents in and around the parks. They are hardy plants, tolerant of heat, drought, and even salty soil. They are considered invasive by some authorities, but they do not readily spread by seed. Their thick root is hard to remove, and once established, daylilies will spread along by root. Daylily buds can be eaten before the flower blooms, and the foliage is edible when cooked. Although each flower blooms for just one day (thus the name) the withered flowers can be collected to augment soup stock.