Turk's Cap Lily, Martagon lily
Lilium martagon
Family: Liliaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Orange, Pink, Purple, White. Main Bloom Time: Mid summer. Form: Upright or erect.
Lilium martagon is a BULB growing to 1.2 m (4ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4. It is in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 1.2
Where it is found
Deciduous woods, scrub and mountain pasture, especially on limestone.
Europe to W. Asia. Naturalized in Britain.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Bulb - cooked. It is often dried for later use. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum).
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 1
The bulb is diuretic, emmenagogue, emollient and expectorant. They are used to relieve heart diseases, pain in the cardiac region and angina pectoris.
Cardiac: Used in the treatment of heart problems.
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Emmenagogue: Promotes or increases the menstrual flow. In early stages of pregnancy it can induce an abortion.
Emollient: Softens the skin, causing warmth and moisture.
Expectorant: Clears phlegm from the chest by inducing coughing.
Other
Rating:
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Massing, Seashore, Specimen, Woodland garden. Succeeds in ordinary well-drained garden soil. Prefers a good leafy soil in sun or semi-shade. Prefers its roots to be in the shade. Prefers a calcareous soil according to some reports, whilst one says that it is probably best in an acid or neutral soil. A very ornamental and polymorphic plant. It takes 7 - 8 years to flower from seed. The flowers have an unpleasant odour. The flowers are sweetly fragrant, especially at night in order to attract the night hawk-moth for pollination. Early to mid autumn is the best time to plant out the bulbs in cool temperate areas, in warmer areas they can be planted out as late as late autumn. The plant should be protected against rabbits and slugs in early spring. If the shoot tip is eaten out the bulb will not grow in that year and will lose vigour. Special Features:Naturalizing, Attracts butterflies, Suitable for cut flowers, Fragrant flowers.
Propagating it: Seed - delayed hypogeal germination. Best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it should germinate in spring. Stored seed will require a warm/cold/warm cycle of stratification, each period being about 2 months long. Grow on in cool shady conditions. Great care should be taken in pricking out the young seedlings, many people leave them in the seed pot until they die down at the end of their second years growth. This necessitates sowing the seed thinly and using a reasonably fertile sowing medium. The plants will also require regular feeding when in growth. Divide the young bulbs when they are dormant, putting 2 - 3 in each pot, and grow them on for at least another year before planting them out into their permanent positions when the plants are dormant. Division with care in the autumn once the leaves have died down. Replant immediately. Bulb scales can be removed from the bulbs in early autumn. If they are kept in a warm dark place in a bag of moist peat, they will produce bulblets. These bulblets can be potted up and grown on in the greenhouse until they are large enough to plant out.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;
Habit: Bulb
Hardiness: 4-8
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist