Bobby Baxter's Polymerous Daylily Database... the flowers formerly known as polytepals
 

CAROLINA FLYING POLY POSSUM by Bobby Baxter

POLYMEROUS vs. POLYTEPAL

In 1995, the American Hemerocallis Society recognized a new classification of daylilies and called them "polytepals." This term was botanically incorrect. At the fall 2008 meeting of the AHS Board of Directors correctly changed the term to "polymerous."

As a leading advocate of this new form of Hemerocallis, I urge all daylily growers and hybridizers to use the term "polymerous" for flowers that are syntepalous, i.e., those that have four or more segments in each whorl that are joined at the base, forming the perianth tube as in daylilies.

The term "polytepalous" refers to multiple flower segments that are completely separate from each other, which is not the case in Hemerocallis.

Additional Polymerous Terms

tetramerous = 4 per whorl ; a tetramer
pentamerous = 5 per whorl; a pentamer
hexamerous = 6 per whorl; a hexamer

Bobby Baxter
Bobby Baxter


Happy Moose Gardens

 

Hemerocallis ‘Butterfield Eight’



photo by Greg Youngchlid

Hemerocallis ‘Butterfield Eight’
Reinke-B., 2004

Description: 20% Polymerous. Rose pink with dark rose halo above deep green to yellow gold center throat.   SDGXSDG
Bloom: 8 inches, 20.32 cm   Height: 30 inches, 76.2 cm
Diploid: Yes   Tetraploid: No   Foliage: dormant
Season: E   Rebloom: No   Bloom: diurnal  Fragrance: fragrant
Parentage: (sdlg × sdlg)
Spider: No   Ratio: 0:1    Length: 0", 0 cm   Width: 0", 0 cm
Unusual Form: No  UF Type:
Double: No   Percentage: 0%
Cultivar Comments:
Cultivar Change of Status:

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