Herb. No. 243 · Asphodelaceae
East Asian food plant; a naturalized ditch perennial across eastern North America.
Native · East Asia
Orange daylily
Hemerocallis fulva
Garden flowersKitchenFlowersHarvestCompanions
The ditch lily whose buds go in a wok — edible Hemerocallis, never a true lily, never a cat’s flower water.
Orange daylily is the common roadside Hemerocallis, a Chinese food plant long before it was an American ditch weed. Unopened buds are the crop (golden needles when dried). Flowers last a day, as the name says. Tubers of some kinds are eaten; this plate treats buds and fresh flowers as the kitchen use. True lilies, lily-of-the-valley, and iris are not this plant. If you cannot tell Hemerocallis (a fan of strap leaves, no bulbs with scales) from Lilium, do not harvest. Cats poisoned by true lily are an emergency; keep vases out of reach either way.
Flavor
Green bean, mild onion, a mucilage that stir-fry likes. Older flowers go limp and soapy.
Parts used
Unopened bud · Fresh flower (stamens removed if you prefer)
Helpful
- Tough perennial
- A real vegetable if named correctly
- Naturalizes on a bank
Cautions
- True-lily confusion is dangerous
- Some people get a stomach upset from large servings
- Invasive in a kind ditch