Coastal Day Lily

Hemerocallis littorea

Physical Characteristics

Hemerocallis littorea is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.9 m (3ft) by 0.6 m (2ft in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from August to September, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Distribution

E. Asia - Japan.

Habitats

Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Meadow; Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers Leaves Root Shoots Edible Uses: Leaves and young shoots - cooked. They must be consumed when very young or else they become fibrous[K]. Flowers and flower buds - raw or cooked[105, 177]. They can be dried and used as a thickener in soups etc. The flower buds contain about 43mg vitamin C per 100g, 983 IU vitamin A and 3.1% protein[205]. Root - raw or cooked. A pleasant nutty flavour. This sub-species has a fibrous root system[205].

Medicinal Uses

Antidote Diuretic Vitamin C The juice of the roots is an effective antidote in cases of arsenic poisoning[205]. A tea made from the boiled roots is used as a diuretic[205].

Known Hazards

Large quantities of the leaves are said to be hallucinogenic[127, 137]. Blanching the leaves removes this hallucinatory component[205]. (This report does not make clear what it means by blanching, it could be excluding light from the growing shoots or immersing in boiling water[K].)