Qingyang Daylily

Qingyang Daylily

Qingyang Daylily is a geographical indication protected product.

Qingyang Daylily is an agricultural geographical indication product.

　　Influenced by the unique climatic conditions and geographical environment of the Loess Plateau, daylilies produced in Qingyang are light yellow or golden in color, fresh in texture without impurities, and uniformly long, tight, and thick. When you grab a handful and squeeze them into a ball, they feel soft and elastic, and when released, each daylily quickly springs back to its original shape. They have a refreshing, clean fragrance. Daylilies are commonly known as "golden needle flowers," scientifically named Hemerocallis, anciently called "forget-worry flowers," belonging to the Liliaceae family. They are the flower buds of a perennial herbaceous plant. Daylilies are delicious, tender, and rich in nutrients, containing abundant pollen, sugar, protein, vitamin C, calcium, fat, carotene, amino acids, and other essential nutrients for the human body. The carotene content even exceeds that of tomatoes by several times. Their quality ranks first in the country, and they have been named "Northwest Premium Golden Needle Flowers" by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation. They are exported to Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, Japan, and Europe and America.

　　Daylilies, anciently called "forget-worry flowers" or "Hemerocallis," are also known as "golden needle flowers" due to their flower buds resembling golden needles. People admire the beauty of daylilies, but more importantly, they value their rich nutritional value. According to measurements, every 500 grams of dried flower buds contain 3 grams of sugar, 70.5 milligrams of protein, 2 grams of fat, 23.5 milligrams of calcium, 86.5 milligrams of phosphorus, 82.5 milligrams of iron, as well as various vitamins beneficial to the human body. Therefore, daylilies, along with shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and hair moss, are listed as premium dishes by the people of Gansu. People in Gansu often stir-fry daylilies with shredded meat, eggs, and spinach to make the popular dish "muxi meat." They also use daylilies to braise meat, simmer chicken, stew duck, or stir-fry tofu, resulting in delicious and uniquely flavored dishes.

　　"No need to say a farmer's home lacks treasure—daylilies blooming everywhere are true gold." This is a sincere praise of daylilies by ancient people.

　　Daylilies, scientifically named Hemerocallis, belong to the Liliaceae family and have been cultivated in China for over 2,000 years. Their leaves, roots, stems, and flowers can all be used medicinally. They taste sweet and have a neutral nature, with effects such as nourishing blood, calming the liver, soothing the nerves, and calming the brain. The *Compendium of Materia Medica* states: "When cooked and eaten, they are palatable, can remove dampness and promote urination, clear heat and unblock urinary tract, open the chest and relax the diaphragm, calm the mind, and eliminate melancholy, hence the name 'Hemerocallis.'" Li Shizhen also mentioned, "Among the nine detoxifying herbs eaten by deer, Hemerocallis is one of them." The *Compendium of Materia Medica* records that Hemerocallis "has a sweet and cool nature, is non-toxic, relieves irritability, benefits the chest and diaphragm, calms the five organs, and when cooked, treats reddish and painful urination." It has effects such as stopping bleeding, promoting lactation, and diuresis. Folk remedies often use daylilies with white sugar, boiled in water to drink, to treat reddish and painful urination; daylilies with lotus rhizome nodes boiled in soup also show significant efficacy in treating nosebleeds and hemoptysis.

　　According to modern scientific analysis, daylilies are rich in carbohydrates, protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, vitamin C, and other nutrients. Among these, the content of protein, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, and thiamine ranks among the top in vegetables. In particular, the vitamin A content is twice that of carrots. Daylilies have therapeutic effects on conditions such as neurasthenia, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, chronic nephritis, and edema.

　　Regular moderate consumption of daylilies is highly beneficial for disease prevention, health maintenance, and longevity. For elderly people with habitual constipation, eating daylilies regularly can strengthen the stomach and spleen, moisturize the intestines and relieve constipation, nourish blood and calm the spirit, and has no side effects. It is recorded that Dr. Sun Yat-sen once used the "Four-Ingredient Soup" as part of his health-preserving dietary regimen. The "Four-Ingredient Soup" consists of daylilies, black fungus, tofu, and bean sprouts cooked together, forming a comprehensive blood-nourishing and blood-enriching remedy. It is also an affordable and delicious vegetarian dish in daily meals.

　　However, it is worth noting that fresh daylilies contain a substance called colchicine. This substance generates oxidized colchicine during human metabolism, which strongly irritates the respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract. Its main symptoms include nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, and in severe cases, hematuria.

　　Therefore, freshly picked daylilies should not be eaten directly but should be steamed and dried before being used in cooking.

　　Qingyang in Gansu is a long-renowned hometown of daylilies. Every summer when the flowers bloom, the plateau is adorned with vibrant colors—apricot yellow, orange yellow, beige, golden yellow, green yellow, and golden orange blossoms shine brilliantly, standing tall and elegant, making passersby marvel. The Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo, in awe, wrote the moving verse: "Though humble, the Hemerocallis stands out alone in grace."

　　Daylilies are cultivated over a wide area in China, but those from Qingyang rank the highest in quality among all producing regions. They are known as the "Northwest Premium Golden Needle Flowers." The fame of Qingyang daylilies is closely tied to the local soil, water, and cultivation techniques. Located in eastern Gansu, Qingyang features undulating hills, crisscrossed plateaus, fertile soil, moderate rainfall, high temperatures, and ample sunlight, creating natural conditions highly suitable for daylily growth.

　　Daylilies come in single-petal and double-petal varieties, with most Qingyang daylilies being double-petal. They have broad and thick leaves, large and plump flowers. Harvesting is generally best done 1 to 2 hours before blooming, with the standard being fully developed flower buds, uncracked flower mouths, and a light yellow color. During harvesting, care should be taken to avoid damaging the flower stems or buds—pick gently without stems, place lightly without damaging the flowers, pack shallowly without cracking, and transport quickly to maintain quality. The harvested flower buds should be steamed promptly to prevent them from cracking due to prolonged storage, which would affect quality.

　　Steamed daylilies should not be sun-dried immediately. On sunny days, after two days of drying, when a handful of dried flowers can naturally scatter when released, they are considered properly dried. If it rains after steaming, drying is necessary to prevent spoilage. After drying, daylilies can be sorted into first, second, and third grades. The best quality has a golden yellow color, uniform thickness, no insect damage, no mold, no green stalks, no stem-attached impurities, no black stalks, and minimal blooming.

　　The protected geographical indication area for Qingyang Daylily is based on the scope proposed in the Gansu Provincial Government of Qingyang’s official letter titled "Regarding the Definition of the Geographical Scope of 'Qingyang Daylily'" (Ping Zheng Han [2004] No. 24), covering the entire administrative region currently under the jurisdiction of Qingyang City, Gansu Province.

　　Geographical Scope

　　Qingyang City is located in the northeastern part of Gansu Province, with terrain sloping from northwest to southeast. It covers a total area of 2,711,900 hectares, with elevations ranging from 860 to 1,760 meters. The main producing areas of Qingyang daylilies are between 106°24′–108°42′ east longitude and 36°14′–37°09′ north latitude. This includes 15 towns and 122 villages in Qingcheng County, 7 towns and 94 villages in Xifeng District, 19 towns and 227 villages in Zhenyuan County, 18 towns and 64 villages in Ning County, and 12 towns and 79 villages in Heshui County.

　　Natural Ecological Environment and Humanistic Historical Factors

　　(1) Soil and Geomorphology: The main soil types in the region are black loam and loessial soil, with a pH value of 7–8. Daylily cultivation areas are primarily distributed in flat plain and plateau regions, featuring deep soil layers and fertile land.

　　(2) Hydrology: Agricultural water in the region mainly relies on natural precipitation, making it a rain-fed agricultural area. Some plateau and flatland areas can implement irrigation, while mountainous and plateau regions often use agricultural measures such as full plastic film mulching, soil loosening, and rainwater harvesting and irrigation to increase yields.

　　(3) Climate: Qingyang City has a temperate continental monsoon climate, between semi-arid and semi-humid. The annual average temperature is 7.8–9.6°C, annual average precipitation is 535 millimeters, frost-free period is 169 days, and annual average sunshine duration is 2,442.9 hours.

　　(4) Humanistic History: Daylilies belong to the Angiosperms, Monocotyledons, Liliaceae, and Hemerocallis genus, and are perennial herbaceous perennial edible flowering vegetables. According to *Flora of China*, there are about 14 species in this genus, mainly distributed in temperate regions of Asia, with a few scattered in Europe. China has 11 species, with many local varieties, and is the only country that produces daylilies, while Europe and America mostly cultivate ornamental Hemerocallis.

　　According to Tian Jun of the Science and Technology Department of the former Qingyang Prefecture in *The History of Golden Needles*, the cultivation of daylilies in China has a long history, with written records dating back about 2,700 years, earliest seen in the Western Zhou Dynasty’s *Book of Songs · Wei Wind · Bo Xi*. Commonly called "golden needle flowers" by the public, they are named for their delicious, mushroom-like flavor and bright yellow, needle-like appearance. In ancient times, literati often called them "forget-worry flowers" or "male-child-promoting flowers," while the *Compendium of Materia Medica* first named them daylilies. They combine the qualities of a famous flower, delicacy, medicine, and rare vegetable, earning the title of China’s oldest "garden vegetable" and also the flower of China’s Mother’s Day. As the Ming Dynasty poet Li Mengyang wrote: "Today the weather is fine, the Hemerocallis blooms before the hall. I raise my cup to toast my mother’s longevity, rejoicing in the absence of noise." "The flat peach bears fruit for three thousand years, the Hemerocallis blooms for eight hundred springs." Ancient texts such as the *Book of Songs*, *Shuowen*, *Compendium of Materia Medica*, *Famine Relief Materia Medica*, and *Complete Treatise on Agriculture* all mention it. The Han Dynasty poet Li Ling wrote: "I wish for a Hemerocallis branch to quench hunger and thirst." The Tang Dynasty poet Meng Jiao wrote: "The Hemerocallis, a flower for children, does not understand a hero’s worries." The Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi wrote: "Dukang can cure drunkenness, and the Hemerocallis can also forget worries." These are typical famous verses.

　　China’s current traditional main production area for daylilies is first and foremost Qingyang City in Gansu Province, leading the nation in history, scale, quality, processing, and research-driven industrial advantages. Currently, 42,096 hectares are planted with daylilies. In 2005, Qingyang launched the "Six Million" project to strengthen agriculture and enrich the people, and during the 11th Five-Year Plan, it planned to develop 66,670 hectares. The production of Qingyang daylilies is also rare among major producing areas nationwide. According to the former *Qingyang County Annals*, in the birthplace of Zhou ancestral farming and medical ancestor Qi Bo culture, the cultivation and utilization of Qingyang daylilies date back over 2,500 years, traceable to the Qin and Han dynasties. Since ancient times, there have been sayings: "Don’t say a farmer’s home lacks treasure—daylilies blooming everywhere are golden needles." "Golden needles yellow in the hometown of Zhou ancestors, fragrant Hemerocallis blooms in Qi Bo’s homeland."

　　The main ecologically superior variety of daylilies grown in Qingyang is Malan daylily. In 1994, Longdong University collected 33 daylily varieties from across the country. After peroxidase isoenzyme analysis and elimination of synonymous varieties, 25 different varieties remained. Through comparative trials and nutritional content testing, it was concluded that none of the varieties matched the locally naturally inherited Malan daylily, which has a 2,500-year history. In 2000, the Qingcheng County Daylily Research Institute further introduced white and Chongli flowers from Qidong, Hunan, and Datong daylilies from Datong, Shanxi, comparing them with Malan daylilies in introduction trials. Once again, it was confirmed that Malan daylilies hold an irreplaceable position as the main ecologically superior variety.

　　Qingyang daylilies are a renowned historical specialty both in China and abroad. With their high sugar content, rich nutrition, long and thick texture, durability when cooked, and unique pollution-free "non-toxic production" and "clean processing and packaging" technologies originating from the Loess Plateau, they are popular in domestic, Southeast Asian, and European and American markets. During the 1970s and 1980s, the Qingyang daylily industry flourished in eastern Gansu. The former Qingyang regional government established the Qingyang Daylily Research Institute. Qingyang daylilies, with their high sugar content and long, thick texture, exceeded the national standard GB7949-87. In the national commercial supply and foreign trade system’s evaluation of local specialties, Qingyang’s "Bud" daylilies won the title of "Northwest Premium Golden Needle Flowers." In 1992, Qingyang County’s daylilies won the silver award (the highest prize) at China’s First Agricultural Expo. In 2000, during the Western Development campaign, Qingcheng County (formerly Qingyang County) established a daylily research institute, sparking a new wave of characteristic industry development. In recent years, methods such as the greenhouse film steaming method have been researched and promoted, producing "distilled dehydration traditional daylilies" with good sugar surface penetration and softness. Techniques such as far-infrared drying, solar energy utilization control, and matching hot air furnace linkage drying have also been adopted to produce "evaporative dehydration fragrance-preserving daylilies" with internal dryness. These achievements have made daylily drying and processing pollution-free, with lower costs, better quality, higher prices, and stronger market appeal compared to traditional techniques.