Hemerocallis forrestii
Diels
Xi man xuan cao
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) ed_shaw, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) ed_shaw, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Summary
An evergreen perennial reaching 0.4m tall with year-round foliage. Hardy to UK zone 5 and not frost tender. Hermaphroditic. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with mildly acidic to mildly alkaline pH. Grows in semi-shade or full sun and adapts to dry or moist conditions.
Description
A herb. It grows 40-70 cm high. The roots are slightly fleshy with large swollen tubers near the tip. These can be 1.5-2.5 cm long by 3.5-4.5 cm wide. The leaves are narrow. They are 30-70 cm long by 1-2 cm wide. The base is surrounded by the fibrous base of older leaves. The flowering stalk has 4-6 branches each with a double flower group of 2-4 flowers. The flowers are small and open during the day. They are orange or yellow. The fruit is a capsule. It is oval and 3.8 cm long by 1.5-2 cm wide.
Edible Uses
Leaves and young shoots are edible cooked, but must be harvested when very young before they turn fibrous. Flowers and flower buds can be eaten raw or cooked. The roots are also edible raw or cooked; they are slightly fleshy and notably swollen at each end, with a large, globose, tuberous section near the tip.
Medicinal Uses
The juice of the roots is an effective antidote in cases of arsenic poisoning. A tea made from boiled roots is used as a diuretic.
Known Hazards
Large quantities of the leaves are said to be hallucinogenic. Blanching the leaves removes this hallucinatory component. (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.)
Distribution
It is a temperate plant. It grows in forests and on grassy slopes and limestone cliffs between 2300-3200 m altitude in SW China. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
Where It Grows
Asia, China,
Cultivation
Succeeds in most soils, including dry ones, preferring a rich moist soil. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Succeeding in sun or shade, it produces more flowers in a sunny position though these flowers can be shorter-lived in very sunny positions. Succeeds in short grass if the soil is moist. Prefers a pH between 6 and 7. Some reports say that this species is not hardy in Britain, whilst another says that it is hardy to zone 5 (tolerating quite heavy frosts. There is a plant at Kew Botanical Gardens that bears this name and appears to be fully hardy, growing near the base of a west-facing brick wall. It is possible that the plant is actually a hybrid H. forrestii x H. middendorffii. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. Individual flowers are very short-lived, usually withering within 24 hours of opening. The plants produce a succession of blooms over a period of a month or more. Plants take a year or two to become established after being moved. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits. The plants are very susceptible to slug and snail damage, the young growth in spring is especially at risk.
Propagation
Sow seed in mid-spring in a greenhouse; germination is usually fairly rapid and good. Prick seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle, overwinter in the greenhouse, and plant out in late spring. Alternatively, divide plants in spring or after flowering in late summer or autumn — division is quick and easy and can be done at almost any time of year. Larger clumps can go straight into permanent positions; smaller clumps are best potted up and grown on in a cold frame until rooting well, then planted out in spring.
Other Uses
The tough dried foliage can be plaited into cord and used for making footwear.
Notes
There are about 15 Hemerocallis species. Also put in the family Hemerocallidaceae.
References (4)
- Chen Xinqi, Liang Songyun, Xu Jiemei, Tamura M.N., Liliaceae. Flora of China. p 92
- Liu, Yi-tao, & Long, Chun-Lin, 2002, Studies on Edible Flowers Consumed by Ethnic Groups in Yunnan. Acta Botanica Yunnanica. 24(1):41-56
- Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 5:298. 1912
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
