Your garden and many local gardens have beautiful lilies and daylilies coming into full bloom. Do you know the difference between the two?
Lilies are in the genus Lilium. A true lily belongs to the Liliaceae family and to the Lilium genus. The blooms of a lily have six tepals, meaning three sepals and three petals.
In 1793, when the standard binomial system for nomenclature was introduced, Hemerocallis (Daylilies) were within the Lilacae family. Hermera means "a day," and kallis means "beauty." It literally means "beauty for a day." Each flower of the daylily blooms for one day.
In 1985, daylilies were placed in their own family, Hemerocallidaceae.
Lilies are flowering plants growing from bulbs with large prominent flowers. Most species of lilies are native to the northern hemisphere. Their range is temperate climates and extends into the subtropics.
Many other plants have “lily” in their common name but do not belong to the same genus and are, therefore, not true lilies. Some of these not-true lilies you might be familiar with are calla lily, magic lily, lily-of-the-Valley, Aztec Lily and pineapple lily.
True lilies are erect, herbaceous plants with scaly bulbs. The leaves, lancelate or ovate, cover the entire stem length. The leaves have parallel veins and grow on the stem alternately, scattered or in whorls.
The lily bulbs have no covering and can dry out easily. They must be treated more like plants. The bulbs are never dormant and should be planted as soon as possible in the fall after digging or purchasing.
Although you will see bulbs for purchase in the spring in garden centers, they have been treated to stay in a certain stage. They can be planted and will live and bloom successfully. Some gardeners wait until lilies have bloomed in garden centers and purchase them at a cheaper price. If planted immediately, they will survive the winter, grow next spring and bloom in the summer.
Lily flowers are large and often fragrant. The flowers come in a large range of colors - whites, yellows, oranges, pinks, reds and purples. Markings include spots and brush strokes. Some are bicolors, bitones or blends of colors.
The tepals can be spread or reflexed and are free from each other. The ovary is born above the point of attachment of the anthers. The fruit is a three-celled capsule bearing seeds.
Daylilies are a herbaceous clump, forming perennials growing from rhizomes. They have a fibrous or fibrous-tuberous root system. The tuberous roots are used to store nutrients and water.
Daylily blooms come in almost all colors except true blue. More than one color may be exhibited in a single flower, from a throat pattern to a picotee edge of gold or silver. Ridges may be ruffled, toothed or hooked. Single flowering varieties are made up of three sepals and three petals, six stamens and one pistil. Double forms are made up of extra petals.
The point at which the roots meet the foliage is known as a crown, which creates a fan shape. A single plant is called a fan, with many fans making a clump. Leaves which produce food for the plant are long, slender and grass-like with a prominent center rib.
Scapes (leafless flower stalks) emerge from the base of the plant with flower buds visible. Most scapes have two or three branches. Blooms on a scape can range from 10 to 60, depending on the variety. Some species are night-blooming, and some daylilies will re-bloom in late summer or fall. Sometimes just below the junction of a bract on the scape, a small plantlet grows, called a proliferation, which can be rooted to produce another plant.
Enjoy all the lilies and daylilies blooming this summer. Consider planting some of each in your garden. Both are easy to grow.
