Practical
Plants

Lilium martagon

Turk's Cap Lily

a member of the Lilium genus in the family Liliaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Liliaceae
Genus
Lilium
Height
1.2 m
Spread
0.25 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Lepidoptera, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Lepidoptera, Self

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Bulb - cooked[7][4][16]. It is often dried for later use[14]. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum).

Plant part
Root

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The bulb is diuretic, emmenagogue, emollient and expectorant[9]. They are used to relieve heart diseases, pain in the cardiac region and angina pectoris[9].

Product or use
Cardiac
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Emmenagogue
Product or use
Emollient
Product or use
Expectorant

Environment

Range
Europe to W. Asia. Naturalized in Britain.
Habitat
Deciduous woods, scrub and mountain pasture, especially on limestone[2].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 4+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - delayed hypogeal germination[3]. Best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it should germinate in spring[5]. Stored seed will require a warm/cold/warm cycle of stratification, each period being about 2 months long[6]. 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[K]. Division with care in the autumn once the leaves have died down. Replant immediately[8]. 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[8].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in ordinary well-drained garden soil[1][13]. Prefers a good leafy soil in sun or semi-shade[17]. Prefers its roots to be in the shade[11]. Prefers a calcareous soil according to some reports[1][12][2][17], whilst one says that it is probably best in an acid or neutral soil[15]. A very ornamental[1] and polymorphic plant[5]. It takes 7 - 8 years to flower from seed[5]. The flowers have an unpleasant odour[5]. The flowers are sweetly fragrant, especially at night in order to attract the night hawk-moth for pollination[10]. 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[8]. 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[8].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-600-33545-3

    ↩1↩2

  3. ? The Plantsman. Vol. 4. 1982 - 1983. Royal Horticultural Society 1982-00-00

    ↩

  4. Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-87857-262-7

    ↩

  5. Woodcock. and Coutts. Lilies - Their Culture and Management. Country Life 1935-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  6. RHS Lily Group. Lilies and Related Plants.

    ↩

  7. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  8. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  9. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  10. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩

  11. Knight. F. P. Plants for Shade. Royal Horticultural Society. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-900629-78-9

    ↩

  12. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩

  13. Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938-00-00

    ↩

  14. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  15. Fox. D. Growing Lilies. Croom Helm 1985-00-00

    ↩

  16. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  17. Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30253-1

    ↩1↩2

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