June 23 | Plant of the week Part IV

Time of the Turk`s Cap Lilies

The Turk’s Cap Lily, Lilium martagon, has a very wide distribution, it occurs throughout Eurasia, west of Portugal through S. France and further to the east. Central and southern Italy and western N-Europe are left out. Otherwise, the distribution area goes as far as Siberia, northern Mongolia, and the southern Caucasus. This is also the reason for some varieties and forms. The species forms its own section, which botanists call the Martagon section. This can be recognized by the typical Turk’s Cap shape with the petals bent back and the pistils and stamens protruding far. All varieties grow on limestone, but can also be found on other soils, sometimes also in silicate. They do not tolerate garden humus and rich soil in the root area, which is why they are often regarded as difficult to keep. They can climb up to more than 2100 m high in the mountains. Deer love the buds, one reason why we find them with difficulty in some places in the Alps, although they grow in large numbers here. In the case of repeated grazing damage, they can retreat into the ground for several years to regain their strength.