The genus Hemerocallis, commonly known as the daylily, is one of the most popular and adaptable perennial flowers in the landscape due to its remarkable diversity in color. Originating from Asia, the wild species were limited to shades of yellow, orange, and fulvous red, but modern hybridization has dramatically expanded this palette. Today, breeders have cultivated a spectacular range of hues, creating a spectrum that covers almost every color imaginable within the flower’s genetic limitations.
The Primary Daylily Color Palette
The core color spectrum of the daylily is built upon the foundational pigments known as carotenoids and anthocyanins, which interact to create a vast array of shades. Yellows and golds are the most dominant colors in the genus, ranging from the palest lemon and near-cream shades to deep, vibrant gold and rich canary yellow. These hues are primarily produced by carotenoid pigments, which are also responsible for the color in carrots and corn.
The warm end of the spectrum extends into oranges, encompassing everything from soft peach and melon tones to intense tangerine and rusty reds. Reds are also a strong color family, with cultivars displaying shades from bright scarlet and tomato-red to deep maroon, wine, and velvety near-black reds. The red and purple tones are derived from anthocyanin pigments, which are found in the upper layers of the petals and determine the intensity and saturation of the color.
The cooler colors include a wide selection of pinks and purples, often resulting from the layering of anthocyanins over a lighter background pigment. Pinks span from delicate blush and pale rose to vivid rose-reds, while purples vary from soft lavender and lilac to deep grape and rich violet.
Unique Color Patterns and Markings
Beyond the base color of the petals, the appearance of a daylily is often defined by the patterns and markings that overlay the main hue. The most common marking is the “eye,” a distinct zone of contrasting, darker color that encircles the flower’s throat on both the petals and sepals. This eye zone can be a solid band or a softer, less defined ring known as a “halo.”
A “watermark” is a specific type of eye zone that appears as a faint, lighter zone of color, often pale cream or white, directly above the throat. These markings introduce complexity by combining the primary colors in striking ways, such as a bright yellow flower featuring a deep purple eye. Another common feature is the “picotee edge,” a thin margin of contrasting color that borders the edge of the petals.
The picotee edge often matches the color of the eye zone, creating a cohesive, framed look on the flower, though hybridizers are continually working to create flowers with a contrasting edge but no eye. More complex “patterned” daylilies go beyond these simple markings, exhibiting irregular designs like stippling, streaks, or concentric rings of varying color and saturation within the eye zone.
Colors That Do Not Exist in Daylilies
A few colors remain genetically unavailable in the Hemerocallis genus despite the astonishing range achieved through hybridization. The most notably absent color is a true, saturated blue. Although breeders have introduced cultivars described as “blue,” these flowers are technically a bluish-purple or a distinct lavender-mauve, as the genetic pathway for stable blue pigments does not naturally exist.
Similarly, a pure, unblemished white is currently impossible to achieve. Cultivars marketed as “near-white” are actually flowers with extremely pale pigmentation, typically a very light cream, ivory, or pale lemon-yellow. The challenge lies in completely eliminating all traces of the dominant yellow carotenoid pigments.
The pursuit of “black” is also a goal for many breeders, but no true black daylily exists. These dark flowers are actually extremely saturated shades of deep purple or dark red, where the high concentration of anthocyanin pigments absorbs nearly all light to give the appearance of black.