Plant ID Pages
Plant ID Pages
Plant ID Pages
Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva)
Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva)
Crunchy, colorful, and criminally underused.
What It Is
Daylilies aren’t true lilies- and that’s good news. They’re abundant, edible, and widely planted across North America, especially in ditches and around old homesteads. Most parts are edible: tubers, shoots, buds, and blooms.
Crunchy, colorful, and criminally underused.
What It Is
Daylilies aren’t true lilies — and that’s good news. They’re abundant, edible, and widely planted across North America, especially in ditches and around old homesteads. Most parts are edible: tubers, shoots, buds, and blooms.
Use It Like This
Eat flower buds sautéed in butter (like green beans).
Stuff blossoms with goat cheese or hummus.
Add petals to salads for color and crunch.
Use shoots in stir-fry or soup.
Roast young tubers — they taste a bit like sweet potatoes.
Tip: Start with small amounts — some people experience digestive upset. Always cook tubers and shoots before eating.
Use It Like This
Eat flower buds sautéed in butter (like green beans).
Stuff blossoms with goat cheese or hummus.
Add petals to salads for color and crunch.
Use shoots in stir-fry or soup.
Roast young tubers — they taste a bit like sweet potatoes.
Tip: Start with small amounts — some people experience digestive upset. Always cook tubers and shoots before eating.
Harvest Notes
Avoid “lookalikes” such as true lilies (Lilium spp.), which can be toxic.
Pick blossoms early in the day before they wilt.
Avoid roadside sprays or contaminated ditches.
Wild Food Snapshot
Daylilies are prolific and joyful, but taste and digestibility can vary between varieties. Stick with known garden or ditch varieties, not mystery hybrids.
Harvest Notes
Harvest only young leaves before flowering for the best taste.
Avoid patches exposed to runoff or contamination — dock roots readily absorb heavy metals.
Always cook or blanch before eating; raw dock can be irritating in large amounts due to oxalates.
Wild Pantry Snapshot
Curly dock is one of the most widespread edible greens in North America. Learn to love its tang, and you’ll never run out of wild food.
Harvest Notes
Harvest only young leaves before flowering for the best taste.
Avoid patches exposed to runoff or contamination — dock roots readily absorb heavy metals.
Always cook or blanch before eating; raw dock can be irritating in large amounts due to oxalates.
Wild Pantry Snapshot
Curly dock is one of the most widespread edible greens in North America. Learn to love its tang, and you’ll never run out of wild food.
