Turk's Cap Lily

Lilies

Three species of lily are found in the wild in Slovenia: the Carniolan lily, the Turk’s cap lily and the orange lily. All three have protected status and picking them is prohibited.

The Carniolan lily (Lilium carniolicum) is named after the historical region of Carniola. Present-day Slovenia is the centre of its distribution. It is found in Austria in the Karawanken and Dobratsch mountain ranges, and in Italy in the Trieste Karst. South of Slovenia its range extends as far as Bosnia. In the European context it is a rare and unusual species.

The flower of this lily is typically of a vivid orange colour. The flowers at the end of the stem always droop downwards. The strong stamens and pistil also point towards the ground. The stamens are a very striking feature of the flower. The orange petals of the corolla turn so far upwards that they meet above the flower. The stamens attract attention because of their strong anthers, which are of the same orange colour as the petals. The undersides of the corolla petals, which serve as a roof for the stamens, are decorated with an irregular pattern of darker spots and small elongated patches. The flower is attractive to the eye but not to the nose. It has an unpleasant smell.

Like the Carniolan lily, the Turk’s cap lily (Lilium martagon) has recurved corolla petals. This lily owes its name to the similarity of its flower to a Turk’s turban. It is found throughout almost the whole of Europe.

The flower of the Turk’s cap lily can be of many different colours, ranging from pale rose-pink to flesh-red or purple. No two flowers have exactly the same pattern of spots. Dark spots and patches are a constant feature of the corolla petals. The prominence or otherwise of this decoration is a matter of genetics, although each flower has a certain amount of autonomy as regards the distribution of the spots and patches. The smell of the flowers is designed to attract nocturnal pollinators and is unpleasant to the human nose.

The flower of the orange lily (Lilium bulbiferum) stands up straight, clearly differentiating it from the Carniolan and Turk’s cap lilies. The flower is scentless and attracts pollinators with its fiery orange colour. Diurnal butterflies pollinate the flowers when they come to feed.

Aerial bulbs known as bulbils grow in the axils between the upper leaves and the stem. When these fall to the ground, they put out tiny roots and grow into a new plant. Bulbils play a similar role to seeds.

The fourth lily is the white lily or Madonna lily (Lilium candidum). This lily is not found in the wild in Slovenia but has been grown in gardens for centuries and is a well-known cultivated plant.

Matjaž Mastnak