Color of the flower

Color of the flower is one of the basic features contained in the genetic code of the plant. While planning the breeding in order to obtain a certain color of flower in the brood, and crossing the plants of different colors during that process, we are in fact acting similarly to the procedures of mixing paints in different proportions purposed for painting of the apartment or car restoration. The color of daylily flower is mainly defined by the color of petals – structure that takes up the largest area of the perianth and is usually, but not always, of the same color as sepal.  Breeding works, especially the ones conducted in recent years, have diversified the colors of petals introducing different colors and sizes of throat, eye and border endings of sepals. All of this resulted in a certain effect in recent years, namely that the proportion between a number of unicolor variations in relation to multicolor variations has turned around. Currently, most of the introduced variations belong to the latter category and they are characterized by variety of colors, or at least shades of colors of individual elements of perianth’s structure. Modern unicolor variations, unlike the older variations, are in most cases adorned by wide frill of diversified structure that constitutes border ending of the inner sepals (fig.19). Fig.19  Flowers of unicolor variations

Wonders of it All	Lil' Red Wagon	Sp Irish Illumination	Frank's Delight
Because of You	Madison Holly Lace	Storm Over Toledo	Pineapple Moon

The group of unicolor variations seems to be mainly represented by yellow color. Flowers of these variations are usually characterized by exceptionally strong, thick, meaty sepals and various forms of widely developed, various frills (fig.20). Fig.20  Flowers of yellow unicolor variations

Sunny Perfection

Crazy Man

Susan Marshal

Iron Man

These characteristics are more distinctive in yellow unicolor variations than in variations of different colors. For this reason, the people who like to use daylily flowers also as a part of sophisticated dishes, most commonly use the daylily variations with yellow flowers for the preparation of various types of salads. Despite of the above-mentioned diversified colors of daylily flowers, they can be divided into several basic color groups, more or less popular, and more or less represented quantitatively in a global scale of breeding achievements. Color selection of daylily flowers seems to be unlimited, given almost incalculable number of shades of basic colors and diversity of color variants, in regard to the distribution of color elements of perianth. It is distinctively illustrated by the figures below, which show individual color categories of the daylily flowers. Even superficial analysis of the most popular, seemingly homogeneous categories e.g. yellow flowers (fig.21)or orange flowers (fig.22),shows a great color diversity of individual flowers that blur the impression of belonging to the same group of colors. Fig.21 Flowers of yellow variations

Corroborre Dancer

Flamenco

Tranquil Horizon

Broadway Spotlight

Fig.22 Flowers of orange variations

Halloween Kisses

Orange Blossom Trail

Hot Lava

Tyger River

The interesting fact is that the variations with orange flowers that have been dominating the market in the previous years, nowadays constitute a distinct minority in modern daylily breeds compared to variations of other colors, especially compared to very developed category of red color variations. In recent years, red flower variations have become very popular (fig.23). Fig.23 Flowers of red variations

Karen Stevens

Sp. Modern Symetry

Memories Remain

Jasmine Rossi

This distinctive preference of red variations that is apparent in modern breeding, most likely results from the natural urge to search for forms that are different from botanical and older breeding variations, in which the yellow and orange colors were definitely dominant. Currently, the red variations seem to constitute the richest color offer with inexhaustible number of anatomical variants, art forms and decorative elements of perianth. Among them, the most numerous are the red forms with white or yellow frill on the endings of petals (fig.24) Fig.24 Flowers of red variations with frills

Love After Dark

Blissful Blackberry

Matthew William

Born to Run

The breeding task that is still unfulfilled (in the matter of red color flowers) is obtaining anatomically spectacular variations with flowers of pure, lively red color that is devoid of crimson or purple hue, like in the following variations: Firebird Suite, Gemstone Warrior, Off To the Races or Wyatt Earp(fig.25). Fig.25 Flowers of vibrant red variations

Firebird Suite

Gemstone Warrior

Off to the Races

Wyatt Earp

The variations with white flowers always have been an object of great interest from both fans of daylilies, as well as the breeders of those flowers (fig.26). Obtaining the plant with pure white flowers is very difficult, and in the case of the most variations, which are considered white, the white color is in fact mixed with yellow, cream, green or other shade. This deficiency is more visible in unicolor flowers, than in the flowers that are decorated with colorful and contrasting eye or colored frill. Fig.26 Flowers of white variations

Weddomg Gown (a)

Fancy Lace (б)

Snow Cristal (в)

Malcolm David Brooker(г)

The variation called Wedding Gown can be characterized as the closest to the ideal of white color, and it is devoid even of the colorful spot, which usually in the daylily flowers is in the throat of the flower. (fig.25a) White hue in the white flowers with colorful elements, such as eye, frill or throat loses its importance and is only a background for the colorful element. Colorful accent is usually so dominant in visual perception that the matter of less or more perfect white hue is not noticed and is no longer important (fig.27). Fig.27 Flowers of white variations with colorful elements

Sp. Sea Shells

Ageless Beauty

Fringy

Cobalt Intrigue

Despite the lesser popularity, the variations with pink flowers are as differentiated in form as the red flowers. Also in this case, you can find all the nuances of breeding solutions (fig.28). Fig. 28 Flowers of pink variations

Mckenzie Agin

Katherine Marin

Wheel of Time

Merchant of Venice

Variations with crimson flowers comprise a very interesting color group from the breeding perspective (fig.29). It comes from the fact that they constitute a starting point for obtaining variations with purple, amethyst, lilac, heather, as well as black flowers. Fig.29 Flowers of crimson variations

Cosmic Sensation

Batman's Shadow

Vienna Waltz

Bela Lugosi

This first group is represented by a wide range offer of very attractive variations, usually based on the combination of white color with various shades of purple (fig.30) Fig.30 Flowers of purple variations

Star Woman

Passion and Style

Purple Peace

Diamond Star Halo

The biggest breeding successes in obtaining variations of purple colors (as well as similar hues and shades) the fans of daylilies owe to the American breeder of daylilies Ludlow Lambertson. He broke all the records in number of annual, consistently repeated for many years, registrations of daylilies variations in this color category (fig.31) Wider offer of this breeder can be found on the following website: (http://www.artgallerygardens.com/index.html). Fig.31 Variations of Ludlow Lambertson in purple colors

Cerulean Warbler

Audubons Oriole

Archaeopteryx

Celestial Eyes

The breeder’s pursuit to obtain daylily flower of black color is analogous to the efforts that accompany the ambition to create black rose, tulip, lily or iris (fig.32). Fig.32 Flowers of “black” variations

Black Ambrosia

Derrick Cane

Black Stockings

Midnight Heat

Register of daylilies is enriched each year by new proposals in this matter, and that is the evidence that this process is not complete and is still ongoing. Fig.33 Recent proposals of “black” variations flowers

V. G. Star Bright (a)

Bob Charman (б)

Larry's Obsession (в)

Black in Black (г)

In recent years the group of “black” daylilies was enriched by couple of valuable variations (fig. 33), and the ones called VG Star Bright (a) and Larry’s Obsession (c) are the most valued. The originality of the first variation, besides the color, comprise of obtaining the flower with a distinct frill in the color of petals, and the originality of the second variation comprise of special endings of sepals, which are kind of white and wavy margin. Another difficult task in the daylily breeding was to introduce blue color of the flowers, which was strange and uncommon for this specie.To this moment there’s no evidence that it was achieved and that the perianth’s sepals of some daylily has been filled with blue color, nevertheless the number of variations is increasing, in which the blue color is appearing in colourful circles surrounding the throat (fig.34) Fig.34 Flowers of variations with blue elements

Blue Delicious

Blue Beat

Persistent Butterfly

In Cahoots

Obtaining green daylily flowers is no less difficult and no less ambitious than the introduction of blue flower. In individual modern variation the perianth’s throat is filled with green color (fig.35).   Fig. 35 Flowers of variations with colorful display of green throat

Sugar High

Going Green

Cristal Creation

Verdant Spring

In the individual variations, the share of green color in the whole flower is more evident (fig.36). It can be assumed that it was obtained from the intermediate forms (a,b), or web forms (c). Fig.36 Flowers of green variations

Kermit's Scream (а)

Emerald Starburst (b)

Green Inferno (c)

Adventures with Jelly Maker

While concluding reflections on the color of daylily flowers, it should be noted that crossing of the plants gives unlimited possibilities of acquiring new (other than those described above) color solutions. Fig. 37 shows some examples of very original, less common colors. Fig.37 Flowers of variations with original color solutions

Fourth of July

Valentine Greetings

V. G. Rolling Thunder

Violet Victory

Chang Dynasty

Pistachio Eyes

King Crab

Mount Etna

Ohio Discovery

Starry Eyed Piranha

Desire of Nations

Heat Seeker