Lilium superbum

Description

Lilium superbum, or Turk’s Cap Lily, is the largest and most spectacular of the native lilies in northeastern North America and attracts the eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly. Turk’s Cap Lily produces beautiful, bell-shaped, yellow-orange “flame” colored flowers with red spots hanging down from stalks. The foliage is made up of whorls of leaves up the stem. While difficult to cultivate from seed, once established, the plant is one of the easiest to grow. It prefers part sun and rich, moist to medium soil. The showy flowers attract hummingbirds, large day flying insects like Sphinx moths, Hummingbird moths, long-tongued bees, and larger butterflies. The plant looks best in masses in borders, gardens, meadows, or pond peripheries.