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Daylily (Hemerocallis sp.) is a popular and widely planted herbaceous perennial in the landscape, with over 78,000 cultivars registered with the American Hemerocallis Society. Daylily performs well in full sun, heat, humidity, and periods of dry weather, and has generally been considered to be pest free. However, a rust disease (Puccinia hemerocallidis) was introduced in the United States on imported plants in 2000, quickly spreading to become a widespread problem on daylily in and beyond the southern United States. In Aug. 2013, 575 daylily cultivars (mostly newer hybrids) were surveyed for daylily rust in a large landscape planting that had not received any fungicide treatment during the 2013 growing season. Weather conditions during the growing season were favorable for daylily rust. Individual clumps were rated as 1 (no or little visual sign of infection), 2 (moderate infection), or 3 (severe infection). In this survey, 119 cultivars (21%) received a median rating of 1 or 1.5, 230 cultivars (40%) received a rating of 2, and 226 (39%) received a rating of 2.5 or 3. Most cultivars were represented by a single clump, and may thus be more susceptible to daylily rust than a single rating might indicate. Diploid cultivars were associated with lower daylily rust severity ratings than tetraploid cultivars.

In two patients with bacterial endocarditis and apparent vegetations, the echocardiographic findings included thickening but normal excursion of the mitral leaflet and abnormal shaggy echoes superimposed on the mitral leaflet echogram. Both patients had had endocarditis several weeks before the study was performed. In both patients the abnormal echoes disappeared after antibiotic therapy. Whether or not the echocardiographic findings are specific to bacterial endocarditis must be determined by further studies. One patient had evidence of "immune complex disease" with vasculitis, hypocomplementemia, and renal failure which persisted for weeks after disappearance of vegetations on the echocardiogram. This sequence was unexpected, as a continued source of antigen for this reaction was not apparent.

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