Thanks so much for this visual description of paradormancy. I'd noticed this difference in my daylilies this summer and was wondering what I was seeing. So, do I understand it right that this bud dormancy (paradormancy) is the crux of what we mean when we say a cultivar is dormant, semi, or evergreen? Or, are you exploring the idea that those three descriptors are not really capturing all the variations that could be given to each cultivar (it would be neat if there were more levels to how a cultivar is described, so that growers could know how the plant will perform), and that it might also be possible to add hard-freeze and drought/high temp performance as standard info on cultivars as well?
From Maurice, above: "When it is dormant the fan will look something like this \\\\\\S////// with the scape (S) in the centre and the old leaves / and \ on either side of the scape. When the bud is not dormant and starts to grow right away the fan will look something like this \\\\\\\///S/////. The new bud could be dormant for a bit of time and then start growing new leaves. If the old leaves start to die while the bud is still dormant and if they all die then the plant may be summer dormant. In those cases, usually the bud starts to grow new leaves after all the old leaves have died. The mature leaves and possibly the scape can be what keeps the bud dormant. That type of dormancy is called paradormancy."
