orange flowers of turks cap lily

Turk's-cap lily (Lilium superbum). Photo: Steven Katovich, Bugwood.org

Updated: March 6, 2023

About Turk's cap lily

Lilium superbum 
Perennial Forb
Lily Family

Maryland Distribution: Wet meadows, stream banks, throughout Maryland. 

Height: 3-5 feet
Blooms: yellow-orange to orange-red; July - August
Sun: full sun to partial sun
Soil: moist to wet soil

Garden Use & Maintenance: Specimen plant, mixed borders, pollinator gardens. You may have some difficulty finding plants to purchase, and when you do, mature specimens will cost more than most garden perennials. A plant must be 7-years old before it begins to flower. A mature plant can carry up to 30 spectacular flowers, each 4 to 6 inches in diameter. Of the 20 recommended native plants, this is by far the most challenging, perhaps not suitable for the beginning gardener. 

Wildlife: Pollinated by hummingbirds and swallowtail butterflies. A favorite of voles, bulbs should be caged for protection in vole-prone areas. Deer overpopulation is wiping out our wild populations. Not recommended for gardens unless protective measures are in place.

orange flowers of turks cap lily

Additional resource

Publications for Gardeners | Maryland Native Plant Society

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