''Lilium martagon'', the martagon lily or Turk's cap lily, is a Eurasian species of lily. It has a widespread native region extending from Portugal east through Europe and Asia as far east as Mongolia.

Description

It is stem-rooting, growing between and tall. The flower colour is typically a pink-purple, with dark spots, but is quite variable, extending from near white to near black. The flowers are scented. Numerous flowers are borne on each plant, and up to 50 can be found on vigorous plants. The green stems can be flushed with purple or red and the leaves are elliptic to inverse lanceolate, mostly in whorls, up to long and often lightly hairy underneath.

Varieties

Numerous names have been proposed at the levels of subspecies and varieties. Only two are recognized by the World Checklist. *''Lilium martagon'' var. ''martagon'' – from Portugal to Mongolia *''Lilium martagon'' var. ''pilosiusculum'' Freyn – Russia, Kazakhstan, Xinjiang, Mongolia

Cultivation

Horticulturally it is in Division IX (true species). This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. ''Lilium martagon'' was used in hybridising with '' L. hansonii'' at the end of the 19th century by Mrs RO Backhouse of Hereford, England.

Name

The name Turk's cap lily, also applied to a number of other species, comes from the characteristic reflexed shape of the petals. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''martagon'' is of uncertain origin. It has been suggested by one scholar (J.W. Redhouse (1892), that the word is of Ottoman Turkish origin, as ''mārtağān'' - a special kind of turban adopted by Sultan Muhammed. However, the word is not found in modern Turkish.

Toxicity

Cats

''Lilium martagon'', like many in the genus, is highly toxic to

cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of t ...

and ingestion often leads to fatal kidney failure;Turk's cap lily is pure delight
The Guardian. households and gardens which are visited by cats are strongly advised against keeping this plant or placing dried flowers where a cat may brush against them and become dusted with pollen which they then consume while cleaning. Suspected cases require urgent veterinary attention. Rapid treatment with

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and/or induced vomiting can reduce the amount of toxin absorbed (this is time-sensitive so in some cases vets may advise doing it at home), and large amounts of fluid by IV can reduce damage to kidneys to increase the chances of survival.Lily Poisoning in Cats
Pet MD.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q156363

martagon ''Lilium'' () is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. M ...

Flora of Asia Flora of Europe Garden plants Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus