'L. superbum' (Lilium)

Found in the eastern U.S. bulbs of Lilium superbum are reported as having being exported to London as early as 1738. Known as the 'American Swamp Lily' superbum enjoys a rich soil that is kept most throughout the year. The Turk's Cap flowers vary in color from golden-orange to nearly solid red. Carried atop stems sometimes reaching 8 feet, when left undisturbed bulbs will often exceed 1/2 pound.

This landscape photo, here at the nursery with our daughter peaking through the stems when a young teenager, has always been a favorite. This stand, exceeding 100 plants, was even studied by graduate students sent from the University of North Carolina, their task, to take samples and identify the one natural Tetraploid in the group found by their professor two years earlier from leaf samples he collected during a visit. Grown from seed collected throughout its entire range, it was felt this one colony had the greatest genetic diversification of any single stand in the world.

Insert photo is of the strongest lily in the stand, reaching just over 8 feet with over 40 blossoms.