Hemerocallis fulva (Day Lily): Minnesota Wildflowers

Hemerocallis fulva (Day Lily)

Plant Info
Also known as:	Orange Daylily
Genus:	Hemerocallis
Family:	Liliaceae (Lily)
Life cycle:	perennial
Origin:	Asia
Status:	Invasive - ERADICATE!
Habitat:	part shade, sun; fields, along roads and streams
Bloom season:	June - August
Plant height:	2 to 5 feet
County distribution (click map to enlarge):
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Battle Creek Regional Park Long Lake Regional Park Rice Creek Trail Corridor

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Detailed Information

Flower:

A panicle of 5 to 9 showy flowers, 3 to 4 inches across, made up of 3 petals and 3 petal-like sepals; the outer sepals are slightly narrower than the inner petals. All are orange with red streaks and turn to yellow at the throat. The petal edges are usually a bit crinkly or curled. 6 long stamens, curved near the tips, and a long straight style emerge from the center. Each flower lasts only 1 day, hence the name.

Leaves and stem:

Many sword-like leaves, 1 to 3 feet long and to 1¼ inches wide, surround the base of the plant, usually flopping over. The flowering stem is stout and naked except for a few widely spaced scale-like leaves. A plant may have multiple flowering stems.

Notes:

Day Lily is one of those plants that was known to be invasive farther east but that was ignored. Left alone, it readily spreads and easily escapes garden settings. It can be found along roadsides in many more counties than the distribution map suggests, though it is more a problem plant in the Metro and southeast counties than farther north. As pest management goes, common dandelion spray can be quite effective if applied early in the season. Plants can then be dug up later in the season without too much difficulty, but all of the tubers must be removed or the plant will return the next year.

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More photos

Photos by K. Chayka taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton. Photos courtesy Peter M. Dziuk taken at Whitewater WMA, and in Hennepin County.

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Minnesota, or have any other comments about it?

Posted by: Debbie in St. Louis Park
on: 2010-08-27 21:29:38

Much to my chagrin, SLP allows residents to plant this invasive plant (that has taken over their own yards) along a road that runs along a marshy section of Minnehaha Creek where we have been removing buckthorn! :(

Posted by: Tina in Carlton County
on: 2011-03-01 10:05:15

I noticed a patch of day lily growing behind the Raiter Clinic parking lot in Cloquet, MN. I thought it was a leftover patch from an old garden; however, it appears to be growing all along the trails behind Cloquet hospital. My children and I noticed patches of it while we would take walks last year. Wild columbine and geraniums also appear to be growing.

Posted by: Russel in Lake County, Two Harbors
on: 2011-07-16 21:22:30

Spotted a single plant in the woods off of East Alger Grade. Here is a link to google map location. http://maps.google.com/maps?msid=209762878540973422042.0004a83a872caa5b19c22&msa=0&ll=47.18,-91.600914&spn=0.020594,0.05403&z=15

Posted by: Victoria in Shakopee, Scott County, Minnesota
on: 2011-08-02 07:25:56

"Wild" day lilies growing in Prior Lake, Scott County near Spring Lake Regional Park / Howard Lake and Credit River Township, Scott County near CR 21 and 27.