The shape of flowers

Spider-shaped varieties

The group of daylilies with spider-shaped flowers is one of the most controversial and mysterious of all plants. This is mainly due to their anatomical variation, which wavers between symmetry and asymmetry, regularity and formlessness and aesthetically, between beauty and ugliness. As with everything different, spider daylilies have their lovers and haters depending on customs, expectations and and general acceptance. Their flowers are characterized by elongated narrow elements, roughly as long as the petals and sepals, which are equally spaced between them to form a star. Some varieties retain the regularity of the construction, supported by the symmetrical arrangement of colour shapes between the internal and external elements (fig. 15). It's reasonable to assume that this characteristic is distributed throughout the spider daylilies, and it has been used in cultivation to enrich the sepals and decorative elements in typical daylily varieties. Fig.15 Spider forms of daylily flowers (1)

A Little Fire Scarecrow

Mint Octopus

Grey With

Candy Cane Dreams

Dances with Giraffes

Winged Migration

Marked by Lydia

Lucy Streak

A significant proportion of spider daylilies is at odds with order, regularity and biology; their flowers are composed of elements on many planes and are often twisted along the long axis. This creates a sense of chaos and disorder and raises questions about their aesthetic perception (fig.16) Fig.16 Spider forms of daylily flowers (2)

Apple Swirl

Let Loose

Purple Satellite

Star Twister

Memory Number One

Heavenly Curls Shirley

Temple Curls

Crooked House

As mentioned earlier, these forms have their supporters.