Plant Smart

Hemerocallis spp.

Hemerocallis spp. is toxic to cats and small mammals. The reported severity is critical. Also known as Daylilies, Asphodels and Orange Day-Lily.

Mild Moderate Severe Critical

This plant is known to be potentially deadly!

  • If you're comfortable with the risk, ensure this plant is out of reach of your animal.
  • If you suspect your animal has ingested portions of this plant, immediately consult your veterinarian.
  • If your animal is experiencing any of the associated symptoms, immediately contact your veterinarian's emergency number for further instructions.

If your animal ate this plant, call your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control on (888) 426-4435 or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661. Fees may apply.

Symptoms to watch for

Vomiting Inappetence Lethargy Kidney Failure Death

The color of each symptom follows the severity scale above.

About

A daylily, day lily or ditch-lily is a flowering plant in the genus Hemerocallis, a member of the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae, native to Asia. Despite the common name, it is not taxonomically classified in the lily genus. Gardening enthusiasts and horticulturists have long bred Hemerocallis species for their attractive flowers; a select few species of the genus have edible petals, while some are extremely toxic. Thousands of cultivars have been registered by the American Daylily Society, the only internationally recognized registrant according to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants. The plants are perennial, whose common name alludes to its flowers, which typically last about a day.

How this plant poisons

Eating too many uncooked flowers of some species can cause diarrhea. Hemerocallis species are toxic to cats and ingestion may be fatal. Treatment is usually successful if started before kidney failure has developed.

Related plants

More from the Asphodelaceae family:

Browse all 482 plants

Images

Suggest a change
Wikipedia

Common Names

  • Daylilies
  • Asphodels
  • Orange Day-Lily
  • Daylilies And Allies
  • Yellow Daylily
  • Small Daylily
  • Amur Day-Lily
  • African Potato
  • Citron Day-Lily
  • Dumortier's Daylily

Facts

Family
Asphodelaceae
Duration
Perennial
Growth habit
Forb/herb
In the wild
CN, US, BE, MX, JP, LV + more
Source
Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Elsewhere
GBIF iNaturalist USDA

Countries with the most wild observations, from GBIF data.