Hemerocallis forrestii

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

Large quantities of the leaves are said to be hallucinogenic. Blanching the leaves removes this hallucinatory component^[3]. (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].)

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. Root - raw or cooked. The roots are swollen and conspicuously enlarged at each end^[2]. The roots are slightly fleshy, with a large, globose, swollen, tuberous part near the tip^[5].

Plant part: Flowers

Plant part: Leaves

Plant part: Root

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

The juice of the roots is an effective antidote in cases of arsenic poisoning^[3]. A tea made from the boiled roots is used as a diuretic^[3].

Product or use: Antidote

Product or use: Diuretic

The tough dried foliage is plaited into cord and used for making footwear^[3].

Product or use: Weaving

Environment

Range

E. Asia - W. China in Yunnan Province.

Habitat

Dry ridges and rocky banks around 250 metres^[3]. Forests, grassy slopes and limestone cliffs at elevations of 2300 - 3200 metres in SW Sichuan and NW Yunnan^[5].

Light

full sun

Shade tolerance

light shade

Water

moderate

Hardiness

Zone 5+

Soil textures

sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay

Soil pH

acid, neutral, alkaline

Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil

Drought

intolerant

Propagation

Seed - sow in the middle of spring in a greenhouse. Germination is usually fairly rapid and good. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow the plants on for their first winter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring[K]. Division in spring or after flowering in late summer or autumn^[2]. Division is very quick and easy, succeeding at almost any time of the year[K]. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Cultivation

Succeeds in most soils^[1], including dry ones, preferring a rich moist soil^[3]. 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^[3]. Succeeds in short grass if the soil is moist^[1]. Prefers a pH between 6 and 7^[2]. Some reports say that this species is not hardy in Britain^[3], whilst another says that it is hardy to zone 5 (tolerating quite heavy frosts^[2]. 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[K]. It is possible that the plant is actually a hybrid H. forrestii x H. middendorffii^[3]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus^[2]. 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^[3]. Plants take a year or two to become established after being moved^[1]. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits^[4]. The plants are very susceptible to slug and snail damage, the young growth in spring is especially at risk^[2].

References

F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

↩1 ↩2 ↩3

Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

↩1 ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

Erhardt. W. Hemerocallis. Day Lilies. Batsford. 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-7134-7065-8

↩1 ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8

↩

Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/