Leaf long, sword-like. Introduced from Asia. Hemerocallis means 'beautiful for a day' in Latin.
Daylilies stem from Asia, where they are actually a food crop.
The buds are harvested and eaten, the flowers are used in soups as flavoring, the leaves provide a salad ingredient, and the small white tubers in the roots are eaten in a similar way as water chestnuts. Europeans saw daylilies as ornamental plants, and since they are disease-free and perennial, they make an excellent garden flower.