Plant · GBIF taxon 2753278
Turk's-cap lily
Lilium superbumAlso known as Turban Lily, Swamp Lily, Lily Royal, American Tiger Lily
Turk's-cap lily stands as the tallest native lily in eastern North America, producing towering stems crowned with up to forty nodding orange flowers in late summer. Distinctive green star-shaped nectary markings at the center of each bloom attract swallowtail butterflies and hummingbirds seeking rich nectar rewards. These long-lived perennials thrive in rich, wet soils of mountain meadows, floodplains, and damp woodland edges where underground bulbs anchor colonies over decades.
Tall WildflowerNative PerennialHummingbird Magnet
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Sunlight
- Water
- Soil Minerals
Predators
- White-tailed Deer
- Scarlet Lily Beetle
- Voles
ThreatsHabitat loss, deer overbrowsing, and collection of wild bulbs
HabitatsWet meadows, floodplains, swamps, seepages, and moist woods
Life spanPerennial (decades via bulb replication)
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderLiliales
- FamilyLiliaceae
- GenusLilium
- SpeciesLilium superbum
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskHigh
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is high
- Highly toxic to cats if ingested; keep pet cats away from blooms, foliage, and pollen.
- Why it is dangerous
- Contains unidentified systemic toxins that cause severe acute kidney failure in cats even from minor pollen exposure or water ingestion.
- How to recognize a risky encounter
- Look for tall stems bearing orange flowers with strongly backward-curled petals and a green star pattern inside.
- What to do
- Do not bring wild or cultivated floral stalks inside homes where domestic cats are present.
- What to notice
- Recognized by whorled leaves and nodding orange flowers with green nectary stars in wet soil habitats.
- Support conservation
- Photograph plants from trails to avoid compacting delicate wetland soil around vulnerable underground bulbs.
Responsible observation
- Observe in Bloom: Mid to late summer offers the best views of towering flower stalks.
- Protect Native Plants: Never dig up wild bulbs, as wild populations recover slowly.
- Keep Cats Safe: Prevent cats from licking pollen or nibbling cut flowers.
Pollinator jeffreyw / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
Pollinator "Eastern Tiger Swallowtail" by ShenandoahNPS is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/. · cc0
Herbivore Pest (c) IES MANUEL GARCÃA BARROS A ESTRADA- PONTEVEDRA, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Cullen Hanks, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Cullen Hanks · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Michael J. Papay, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Michael J. Papay · cc-by
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