The leaves of the true Martagons are narrow, but vary in width from those of L. Martagon, which are three-quarters of an inch across, to those of L. Tenuifolium, which are scarcely more than the tenth of an inch wide. In some species the leaves are arranged in whorls, in others they are scattered.
The flowers of this group of lilies are mostly small but numerous. In all except L. Hansoni, L. Avenaceum, and L. Medeoloides, the segments of the perianth are very revolute, which fact has given to these lilies the name of “Turk’s cap,” from the resemblance of the fully-opened blossom to a turbaned cap.
The true Martagons are among the easiest of the lilies to cultivate, but they have one or two peculiarities which would seem to negative this statement. For instance, these lilies very much dislike being meddled with. Consequently they rarely do well the first year they are planted. It is very annoying after having bought fifty bulbs of L. Pomponium not to have a single blossom the first season. But you have only got to wait until the bulbs have established themselves, when they will flower year after year and increase at a prodigious rate.
All the true Martagons like a cool loamy soil. On the whole they object to peat. Many kinds, as the common Martagon, for instance, like chalk, and are seen to perfection when grown in heavy loam on a limestone bottom. The heavy, black loam of London suits the Martagons very well, and we have seen these lilies in greater perfection in suburban gardens than anywhere else.
First among the true Martagons stands the lily which has given its name to the group—Lilium Martagon, or the Turk’s-cap lily. This lily has a very wide range, being found wild throughout Central Europe and Siberia. We have said that it also grows wild in England, but our readers can hardly expect ever to see the plant growing wild in our island. It used to be fairly plentiful in Surrey, Devonshire and the Isle of Wight, but the rage for collecting specimens has pretty well exterminated the species from our shores. It is, however, occasionally met with, especially in Surrey.
The Martagon lily is one of our oldest garden flowers. When once established, it is very loath to go and very free to increase, so in many gardens this lily has come up and flowered every year for centuries.
The bulb of Lilium Martagon is about the size of a hen’s egg, and of the ordinary ovoidal shape. It is very compact and usually stained on the outside with bright yellow or purple. The leaves are of a greyish-green colour and are arranged in whorls. The flower-head is visible when the plant is but a few inches high. It consists of from four to forty little buds closely packed together. The lily flowers in July, and a well-grown specimen is a very pretty object.
The flower spike forms a perfect cone or pyramid. The blossoms are very small—about one and a quarter inches across—and borne on stalks which grow out at right angles to the main stem. These stalks gradually diminish in length as they get towards the top, thus producing the characteristic cone shape. The nodding blossoms are of a lilac-purple, splashed and spotted with claret colour. The pollen is red, the segments of the perianth are fleshy and very much curled.
There are several well-marked varieties of the Martagon lilies. The variety Dalmaticum, as its name implies, is found in Dalmatia. It is a finer plant than the type. The leaves are deep glossy green, and the flowers are very dark purple. In another variety called Cattaneae, the flowers are still darker, appearing in some lights to be quite black.
There is a white variety of the Martagon lily, a lovely little gem, which, though rare, is one of the easiest culture. It is curious that this is the only variety in the whole group of Martagons which bears white flowers. It is of garden origin, and is not found in the wild state.