Hemerocallis citrina var. vespertina ("Yusuge")

Japanese name: ユウスゲ （夕菅）
Scientific name: Hemerocallis citrina var. vespertina

[Overview]
A perennial 1–1.5 m tall, found in slightly dry places such as mountain grasslands and woodland edges.
The roots have no spindle-shaped swellings.
The leaves arise from the base in two ranks, with the upper part drooping slightly.
The leaves are simple and linear, 40–50 cm long and 0.5–1.5 cm wide.
A dichotomously branched cyme at the tip of a flower stalk 1–1.5 m tall bears lemon-yellow, six-petaled flowers facing upward.
The tepals are 6.5–7.5 cm long, though length and width vary.
The flowers are slightly fragrant and last one day, opening in the evening and wilting the next morning, but the inflorescence branches and the flowers open one after another.
The stamens are shorter than the tepals, and the anthers are blackish purple.
The style is slightly longer than the stamens.
The fruit is a broadly elliptic capsule 2 cm long with a notched tip.
The seeds are ovoid, about 5 mm long, and glossy black.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by division.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained site rich in organic matter.
It is hardy, and when planted in a garden it grows well even if left alone.
Water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
In addition to base fertilizer, apply slow-release fertilizer once each in March–April and September–October.
Remove spent flowers promptly once flowering ends.
Aphids can occur.

View this page in Japanese (日本語)