Hemerocallis fulva, commonly called Orange Daylily, Tiger Daylily or Orange Tiger Daylily, isn´t only cultivated as an ornamental plant for its beautiful flowers, but also for food and medical purposes. Daylilies are native to Asia and are found from Caucasus in the West to China, Japan and Korea in the East. Daylilies belong to the order Asparagales and are not directly related with Lilies (Lilium), which belong to the order Liliales. As Hemerocallis fulva flowers last just for one day, they got the name Day Lilies. Our picture shows the Orange Daylily cultivar Hemerocallis fulva var. Kwanso Regel 1866, where stamens has been modified into additional petals to create a “triple flower”.

Orange daylily flowers reach a size of about 12 cm in diameter. Flowering period: early summer - late autumn. Dried daylily flowers, called Golden Needles or Gum Jum are used in Asian cuisines, especially in the Chinese cuisine for example for the famous hot & sour soup Suan La Tang from Szechuan (Sichuan) province or Buddha`s Delight, a Chinese vegetarian dish, which is traditionally served on the first day of the Chinese New Year.

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Image: Orange Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva var. Kwanso Regel 1866)