Herb latin name: Hemerocallis dumortieri


Family: Hemerocallidaceae



Medicinal use of Hemerocallis dumortieri:

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

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
45 cm
(1 foot)

Flowering:
May to
June

Scent:
Scented
Perennial

Habitat of the herb:

Meadows in the mountains of N. and C. Japan.

Edible parts of Hemerocallis dumortieri:

Leaves and young shoots - cooked. They must be consumed when very young or else they become fibrous. Flowers and flower buds - raw or cooked. The flowers are crisp and juicy with a pleasant sweetness and no unpleasant after-taste. 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. Root - raw or cooked.

Other uses of the herb:

The tough dried foliage is plaited into cord and used for making footwear. Plants form a slowly spreading clump and are suitable for ground cover when spaced about 45cm apart each way. The dead leaves should be left on the ground in the winter to ensure effective cover.

Propagation of Hemerocallis dumortieri:

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. Division in spring or after flowering in late summer or autumn. Division is very quick and easy, succeeding at almost any time of the year. 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 of the herb:

Meadows in the mountains of N. and C. Japan.

Known hazards of Hemerocallis dumortieri:

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.)

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.