Turk's Cap Lily, Lilium superbum and Lilium michiganense,Native Minnesota Wildflower plant, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

The tall Turk's-cap lilies are identified by the backward curving petals and sepals so that when fully open, they almost touch. This completely reveals the stamens and the pollen. Flowers can appear as singles on in an umbel of 2 or 3. Leaves form a whorl on the stem. Curiously, when the seed head forms, it will turn upward as it matures. Inside are hundreds of wafer thin disc seeds. While native, this plant is becoming uncommon in the wild due to cultivation and roadside mowing. L. superbum and L. michiganense are very similar. The identification difference is that L. superbum has a green star in the center of the flower whereas in L. michiganense it is very faintly defined. As the flowers nod downward that star is not seen from a distance.

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Turk's-cap Lily	Lilium superbum and Lilium michiganense	Lily	Upland	Early Summer to Late Summer
Other names and notes	The tall Turk's-cap lilies are identified by the backward curving petals and sepals so that when fully open, they almost touch. This completely reveals the stamens and the pollen. Flowers can appear as singles on in an umbel of 2 or 3. Leaves form a whorl on the stem. Curiously, when the seed head forms, it will turn upward as it matures. Inside are hundreds of wafer thin disc seeds. While native, this plant is becoming uncommon in the wild due to cultivation and roadside mowing. L. superbum and L. michiganense are very similar. The identification difference is that L. superbum has a green star in the center of the flower whereas in L. michiganense it is very faintly defined. As the flowers nod downward that star is not seen from a distance.