OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Lilium superbum   FAMILY Liliaceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Lilium superbum   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26 (2002)

Lilium superbum

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-32-005:

Lilium superbum   FAMILY Liliaceae

INCLUDED WITHIN Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)

Lilium superbum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Lilium superbum

 

COMMON NAME:
Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913    pnd_lisu_001_lvd

        

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

JK Marlow    jkm120505_282

May    Rabun County    GA

Chattahoochee National Forest

Leaves narrow, lanceolate, and numerous, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

Ben Geer Keys    bgk838_a

July        NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

Anthers 0.6-1" long on spreading filaments, extending well beyond tepals, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

Ben Geer Keys    bgk838_b

July        NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

Harry Davis    hld838_crw_7097

July        NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

Tepals yellow to orange, spotted, reflexed so stamens & pistil project, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

JK Marlow    jkm0407o_07

July    Jackson County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

JK Marlow    jkm0407p_26

July    Jackson County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

Leaves typically 10x or more long as wide, per Weakley's Flora (2012).

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

JK Marlow    jkm200717_6643

July    Jackson County    NC

Nantahala National Forest

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

JK Marlow    jkm200717_6646

July    Jackson County    NC

Nantahala National Forest

Filaments parallel along much or most of length, then widely spreading, per Flora of North America.

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

JK Marlow    jkm200717_6647

July    Jackson County    NC

Nantahala National Forest

Anthers magenta, occasionally purple or dull purple, 1.4-2.6cm; pollen rust, per Flora of North America.

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

JK Marlow    jkm9808a_02a

July    Jackson County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

Keith Bradley    kab_lilium_superbum_1585

July    Haywood County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

Ron Lance    rwl_20180720_104525392

July    Jackson County    NC

Big Ridge Preserve

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

Ron Lance    rwl_20180720_105042927

July    Jackson County    NC

Big Ridge Preserve

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

JK Marlow    jkm060805_209

August    Haywood County    NC

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Leaves in whorls of 5-20, widest at or below middle, tapering to both ends, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

JK Marlow    jkm060805_213

August    Haywood County    NC

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Tepals at maturity recurved fully to form a circular shape, per Weakley's Flora (2012).

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

JK Marlow    jkm060805_227

August    Haywood County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

Tepals lanceolate, extremely recurved, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

JK Marlow    jkm060805_232

August    Haywood County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

A superior ovary, thus attached above the point of the tepals' attachment.

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

JK Marlow    jkm060805_235

August    Haywood County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

JK Marlow    jkm060805_331

August    Haywood County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

Flower color ranges from orange to red, liberally spotted with purple, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

Ron Lance    rwl_lilium_superbum

August    Jackson County    NC

Big Ridge Preserve

Twenty flowers or more on a single plant is not unusual, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).

image of Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap Lily, Lily-royal, Superb Lily

JK Marlow    jkm140907_407

September    Jackson County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

Fruits angular capsules to 2" long, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Lilium superbum   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Lilium superbum   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26
Lilium superbum

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-32-005:
Lilium superbum   FAMILY Liliaceae

INCLUDED WITHIN Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Lilium superbum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Lilium superbum

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

838

Forb
Perennial

Habitat: cove forests and moist forests, moist ravines, blackwater stream swamps, Coastal Plain bogs, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Common in NC Mountains, uncommon in GA Mountains (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

LEAVES:
Simple
Whorls of 5-20

FLOWER:
Summer
Orange/Reddish
Radially symmetrical
6 tepals in two whorls of 3
6 long-exserted stamens
Superior ovary

FRUIT:
Summer/Fall

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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