Hemerocallis Lilies

There is a spot in our yard, perhaps 30 ft² (3 m²), that was tilled and planted with lilies by my father for my mother's enjoyment. I never thought to ask my father while he was still living where these lilies originated. I know, however, that they are easy to propagate by digging them up, dividing the bulbs, and then replanting them. My parents might have obtained their bulbs in this manner, from friends or family. For anyone without such a source, though, the bulbs are not expensive to purchase, as I have seen them for sale in many garden centers.

Each year, several different colors bloom in our yard, one after the other. Currently, the lilies that are blooming are variegated yellow-with-lavendar and yellow-with-mauve.

The lilies are members of the genus Hemerocallis. Each flower features three petals and three tepals, plus long stamens which consist of a thin filament capped by an anther which is covered with yellow pollen. There is also a single, long pistil which connects to the ovary of the flower. The following photo shows a closeup of the anthers, coated in pollen:

And here is a photo with all the parts labeled:

This genus of lily has been highly hybridized by growers to produce an amazing array of color combinations. Wikipedia reports that: "There are over 80,000 registered cultivars." I do not know the names of the cultivars we have, but there are maybe five different ones in our collection.