The mysterious night life of the Turk's cap

Why does the Turk’s Cap only smell at night? And how is a lily pollinated with its flowers hanging down? The exciting answers to these questions can be found here.

Together with the fire lily, the Turk's cap (lat. Lilium martagon) is one of the best known varieties of domestic lilies. It is also one of the most attractive plants to populate our woods and forests and its robust nature and longevity (it can live for over 50 years) also make it a popular garden plant.

This lily has an interesting way of ensuring pollination. The blooms hang downward, offering nowhere for pollinators to perch, so this lily can only be pollinated by insects with a long proboscis that are capable of hovering flight. These include hawk moths (butterfly family), which fly from bloom to bloom, hovering on the spot to suck out the nectar with their proboscis.

These moths are only active at twilight and by night, which is why the Turk's cap does not give off any enticing scent during the day and remains practically «invisible» to pollinating insects.

It is not until the twilight of the evening that the Turk's cap awakens from its daydreams, just as the other flowers are closing, to lure butterflies with a long proboscis with its heavy, sweet-smelling perfume.