Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas

Swearingen, J., K. Reshetiloff, B. Slattery, and S. Zwicker. 2002. Plant Invaders of
Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas. National Park Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 82 pp.

Britt Slattery, USFWS

Common daylily was introduced to the United States from Europe in the late 19th century. It is a very popular ornamental prized for its hardiness and variety -- there are now over 40,000 registered cultivars! Daylilies that have escaped from landscape plantings infest natural areas where they pose the greatest threat to meadows, floodplains, moist woods and forest edges. Daylilies reproduce by seed and also from thick, tuberous roots that grow rapidly to form dense clumps. Gardeners inadvertently spread daylilies by throwing away whole plants. They are difficult to control because of their thick tuberous roots.

Prevention and Control
Use spade/shovel to loosen soil and dig up root system. Re-sprouting may occur if entire root system is not removed.

Native Alternatives
ox-eye sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides), Canada lily (Lilium canadense), wood lily (Lilium philadelphicum), Turk's cap lily (Lilium superbum), three-lobed coneflower (Rudbeckia triloba)

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