Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus L.

A perennial plant. It grows 75-90 cm high. It forms rhizomes and spreads. The roots are slightly fleshy and rope like and sometimes with a swollen tuber. It loses its leaves in winter. The leaves are narrow. They are 20-70 cm long by 0.3-1.2 cm wide. They taper to the tip. The flowering stalk is branched. The flowers are fine shaped and lemon-yellow. They have a sweet scent. The fruit is a capsule. It is oval and 2.4 cm long by 1.2 cm wide.

It is a temperate plant. It is frost hardy. In China it grows in forests thickets and grasslands and on slopes along valleys between 100-2000 m altitude. Melbourne Botanical Gardens. It suits hardiness zones 4-9.

The flowers are steamed and then dried and used as a traditional food in China. The flowers are flower buds are dipped in egg, milk, flour and seasoning and browned like fritters. The fleshy roots are boiled in salt water and eaten. The dried flowers are used to flavour soups, stir-fried dishes and noodle dishes. Young shoots are eaten raw, or cooked like asparagus.

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings. Seeds needs stratification.