Family: Asphodelaceae

Day lily is a flowering, herbaceous plant. Arising from a bulbous clump are blade-shaped leaves and a solitary tawny-orange flower. The showy flowers are open for one day only, hence the common name. The botanical name comes from the Greek words hemera, meaning day, and kallos, meaning beauty; this beauty lasts only one day. Aurantiaca describes the color, tawny orange. Summer and Autumn are the main flowering seasons. The common name is misleading, as this plant is not a lily.

Native to China and Japan, the day lily thrives in Hawaii. The daylily is not prone to pests. A low-maintenance plant, it is drought tolerant and tolerant of poor soil. For vigorous growth, separate the clumping bulbs every few years. This species will naturalize in the garden.

Plant Uses:

• Edible
• Erosion control
• Ornamental

Plant Dangers:

• No dangers

High Risk Traits:

• Produces viable seed
  
• Hybridizes naturally
  
• Reproduces vegetatively (via roots and underground branches)
  
• Minimum generative time of 1 year
  
• Propagules dispersed intentionally by people
  
• Tolerates wide range of soil conditions (acidic to alkaline, clay to sandy)

Low Risk Traits:

• Not naturalized or weedy outside native range
  
• No spines, thorns, or burrs
  
• Not toxic to animals or humans (edible parts)
  
• Does not create fire hazard (herbaceous)
  
• Not shade tolerant (requires sun to partial shade)
  
• Self-incompatible (not self-fertile)
  
• Low seed production (6–8 blooms)
  
• No persistent seed bank (viability <1 year)
  
• No adaptations for wind, water, bird, or external animal dispersal
  
• Not likely to disperse as produce contaminant