Home
The University Gardens
HISTORICAL PLANTS OF BERGEN

Lilium martagon (the Turk’s cap lily)

This hardy beauty has found its new home

Martagonlilje
Photo:
Reidun Myking

Main content

Henrik Høyer brought martagon lilies to Bergen from Carolus Clusius in Leiden in 1596. They grew well until they were stolen from his garden in 1603.

It has been suggested that some of the many occurrences of this species at Milde, Stend and elsewhere in the Bergen region could have originated from thefts from Høyer's garden. This is of course impossible to prove, but this hardy lily thrives in deciduous forests with deep soil in Western Norway, and may have survived here all these years.

Return to Bergen's plants.