Parts of a Daylily

A little lesson about daylilies

Petals


Daylilies have three colored petals. They vary in shape from curled or ruffled to bent backwards and more of the traditional lily shape. A few varieties are double flowered, meaning they have twice as many petals per individual flower. They come in almost every color white, yellow, pink, purple, orange and red, with some flowers that are striped and bi-colored. There are no blue daylily flowers.


Sepals

Sepals are the outer protection of the flower bud known as the calyx. In many types of plants these are green and not very conspicuous, but with daylilies the sepals mimic petals. As the flower bud matures, they open up and develop colors similar to the petals, making the flower appear to have six petals total. In reality, a daylily flower actually has three petals and three colored sepals.



Pistil

The pistil is the female part of the daylily flower. On the very top is the stigma which is a sticky pad that receives pollen. The stigma sits on top of the style, which is a long tube like structure that connects the stigma to the ovary where the seeds develop. Daylilies have one pistil per flower.



Stamens

Stamens are the male part of the daylily flower. These are long slim stems that surround the pistil. The stem part of the stamen is called the filament. On the end of each filament is the anther, which is where pollen is produced. Stamens are slightly curved away from the pistil.

If you click on the photo, you can clearly see the stamens and the pistil on this daylily.