JOURNAL 



OF 



The New York Botanical Garden 



Vol. XXXV January, 1934 No. 409 



DWARF DAYLILIES 



It has been about twenty years since the plant collector George 

 Forrest discovered certain daylilies in southwestern China which 

 in the natural habitat grow less than a foot tall. These appear to 

 be distinct from and more dwarf than the smallest of the previously 

 known species, such as Hemerocallis Dumortierii, H. Midden- 

 dor -ffii, and H. minor. 



From the material collected by Forrest three new species were 

 described under the names H. Forrestii, H. nana, and H. plicata. 

 Plants of these were soon brought into cultivation in England and 

 later in America. It seems that these daylilies have not thrived in 

 these countries. Apparently they are not fully hardy or the proper 

 conditions for successful culture have not been supplied. Yet 

 these dwarf types of daylilies should be of value for culture and 

 for use in hybridizing with other types for the development of 

 dwarf clons that are hardy and adapted to general culture. 



Hemerocallis nana. The H. nana is clearly a well-defined type 

 of dwarf stature. A photograph of a wild plant in its natural habi- 

 tat was shown in 1916 (Jour. Roy. Hort. Soc. 42 : /. 12) , a descrip- 

 tion appeared in 1917 (Notes Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 10: 39), and 

 later there was published an illustration in color (Bot. Mag. 148: 

 pi. 8968. 1923). A typical plant of this species received from the 

 Gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society in England and grown 

 at The New York Botanical Garden is shown in Figure i. 



The plants of H. nana grow compactly in the crown with short 

 and almost erect branches. Some of the roots become somewhat 

 enlarged and fleshy but, as far as the w r riter has observed, the 

 fleshy part is at the end of a root and at some distance from the 

 crown. For plants in culture the leaves may be much as 15 



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