The fruit, when ripe, is a favorite of Texas foragers because it tastes like apples without the tartness and can be made into jelly, jam or wine. Turk’s Cap leaves look and taste like baby spinach and can be steamed, sauteed, boiled or stir fried. The flowers, either fresh or dried, can be used to make tea. In Mexico the flowers are used to treat digestive inflammation and as a menstrual cycle aid. Cut back to 4 or 5 inches above ground during winter – or leave the dead foliage alone on this and other plants because they provide shelter for certain birds and other little garden beneficial creatures. Plants typically die back in the winter once the cold temperatures hit. According to, female butterflies and moths lay their eggs on the twigs and buds of the host plant, and baby caterpillars feed on the plant’s leaves, flowers and fruit.Īn established plant does not need to be watered very often depending on rain fall amounts, watering every 5 or 6 days should suffice with less watering the rest of the year. Why? because without caterpillars we might not have birds. We need more butterfly and moth host plants in our yards. Other birds and wildlife adore the red fruit this well-rounded plant provides. Turk’s Cap has a sweet honeysuckle taste, is a favorite of pollinators and hummingbirds, a food source for wildlife, and serves as the primary host plant for the caterpillars of the Turk’s-cap White Skipper (Helipetes macaira). When most flowering plants are struggling in the heat of the summer or the drought of winter, steadfast Turk’s Cap is there adding a pop of color to the wet or dry sandy, clay, alkaline or acidic soils of your flower bed.
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From May to November, you can expect this beauty to shine in full sun or shade. For one, the beautiful red flowers reliably bloom for 6 months out of the year. There are lots of reasons to grow Turk’s Cap in your garden. Mind spinning yet? Common names can cause confusion therefore, it is always a good idea to know the scientific name of a plant to avoid confusion at the nursery or when ordering seeds. Another completely different plant also goes by the common name Turk’s Cap, however this plant is a lily (Lilium superbum). According to (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center website), other common names for Turk’s Cap include Wax Mallow, Mexican Apple, Sleeping Hibiscus, Bleeding Hearts, and Manzanita. It is native to Mexico and looks like Malvavisus arboreus except the flowers hang down versus upright. But just a heads up, there is another plant called Turk’s Cap that is Malvaviscus penduliflorus. What is the correct name for Turks Cap? The scientific name of the Turk’s Cap I’m referring to is Malvaviscus arboreus var. Blooms eventually turn into tiny, red apple-like fruits that are a favorite of birds and wildlife. Turk’s cap flowers got their common name because of their twisted bright red up-right hibiscus-like blooms that look like a Turkish turban. It is native to the high elevation cloud forests of Mexico and Colombia, and can be found in subtropical Texas and Florida and other southeastern states. Turk’s Cap is a low growing perennial shrub that spreads easily with leaves that look like baseball mitts.
Turk’s Cap/Mexican Apple (Malvaviscus arboreus) is a great Texas tough native that thrives in these conditions and is great for beginners because it is versatile and easy grow. Here in south Texas, we have the dual challenge of finding plants that will do well in the shade, but also withstand staggering temperatures and drought conditions in late summer.
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