From Greek hesperos (Ἓσπερος), “of or at evening, western, the west,” and kallos (καλὸς), “beauty,” loosely “western beauty,” a name assigned by Asa Gray, who believed it to be related to Hemerocallis
The Hesperocallis lily family is native to the North American southwest. (Hesperocallis comes from
the Greek words hesperos (Ἓσπερος) and kalos (καλὸς), meaning "western beauty.") Traditionally classified
as lilies, these plants are actually more closely related to agaves.
Identification: Plants are 12-71″ (30-180 cm) in height.
Leaves are long 8-20″ (20-50 cm) and narrow ¼-½″ (8-15 mm), with undulating serrated edges.
White, showy, trumpet-shaped flowers occur in groups of 4 to 18, each 4-12″ (10-30 cm) long and
about 3″ (7.6 cm) in diameter.
Each flower has six petals and yellow anthers.
Edibility: Desert lily bulbs, which can be quite large,
have a garlic-like flavor, and may be baked or boiled, or eaten raw.