Yanchi Daylily

Yanchi Daylily

Yanchi Daylily is a product with geographical indication status.

　　The daylily was first mentioned in the *Book of Songs*. According to *Ancient and Modern Notes*, “To ease someone’s sorrow, give them red brambles (daylily),” hence its name as the “forget-sorrow herb.” When Chen Sheng and Wu Guang led a peasant uprising army to capture Chenzhou (now Huaiyang County, Henan Province) and established their capital and declared themselves kings, the soldiers trampled the lush daylilies into disarray amidst the chaos of war. A local girl named Golden Needle, seeing this scene, felt deep sorrow and carefully tended and cultivated the flowers. As a result, the daylilies revived from near-death. Each plant grew tall and graceful, bursting with enchanting blooms. To commemorate Golden Needle, people renamed the daylily “Golden Needle Flower.”

　　Geographic Scope

　　Yanchi County is located in the eastern part of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, in the transitional zone between the Ordos Plateau and the Loess Plateau, situated between 106°33′–107°47′ east longitude and 37°04′–38°10′ north latitude, with an average elevation of 1,600 meters. It spans approximately 66 kilometers from east to west and about 110 kilometers from north to south. It borders Dingbian County of Shaanxi Province to the east, Huan County of Gansu Province to the south, Otog Front Banner of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the north, and Lingwu and Tongxin counties (cities) of the region to the west, covering a total area of 8,661.3 square kilometers. The main production area of Yanchi Daylily is concentrated in Hui’anpu Town in the southern part of the county, spanning a total area of 1,000 hectares with an annual yield of 15,000 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Features: In appearance, Yanchi Daylily has petals that are 1–2 cm longer than similar products, thick and full, with clear stripes, a brownish-yellow color, dark yellow tips, no greasiness, long and uniformly thick stems, a rich fragrance, and a deliciously fresh and tender taste. It has a smooth texture similar to wood ear mushrooms and straw mushrooms, and is highly nutritious, regarded as a “delicacy on the table.” 2. Internal Quality Features: Yanchi Daylily boasts a refreshing and clean aroma, a delicious taste, tender quality, and rich nutrition. It contains 12.1%–12.6% protein and 0.35%–0.41% calcium, both essential nutrients for the human body. Yanchi Daylily has a sweet and cool nature, and offers benefits such as stopping bleeding, reducing inflammation, clearing heat, promoting diuresis, aiding digestion, improving vision, and calming the nerves. It can be used as a tonic after illness or childbirth. 3. Safety Requirements: The production environment strictly adheres to the standards of *Pollution-Free Agricultural Products – Technical Specifications for the Production Environment of Field Crops* (NY332-2006). ① Phosphides, hydrogen cyanide, nitrogenous bitter substances, and carbon disulfide comply with the relevant provisions of GB/T5009.36. ② Aflatoxin B1 complies with the relevant provisions of GB/T5009.22. ③ Mercury content complies with GB/T5009.11. ④ Arsenic content complies with GB/T5009.11. ⑤ Hygiene standards comply with GB2715-81 and GB2761-81.