Healing Source "Lake Onion" in Beyşehir, District of Konya

The healing source “lake onion” attracts the attention of nature and photography lovers

The "lake bulb", known as "hyacinth" by the local people and can be confused with snowdrops located in Turkey's second largest national park, Lake Beyşehir National Park in Konya, blooms in spring and attracts the attention of nature lovers and photography enthusiasts.

The lake bulb, which grows spontaneously in nature in wetlands in Turkey, blooms in Beyşehir Lake National Park as an endemic plant in May. The lake bulb plant, which can be confused with "snowdrop", attracts the attention of everyone because it has beautiful flowers. One of the endangered plants, the lake bulb is also used in medicine for the treatment of diseases affecting the nervous system such as Alzheimer's and polio, due to the alkaloids it contains.

Mustafa Büyükkafalı, President of Beyşehir Culture, Tourism and Nature Association, stated that “In Turkey, the lake bulb is a plant that grows in limited areas but is mostly seen within the borders of Lake Beyşehir National Park. It looks like a snowdrop but it is not. There are some regions in Turkey such as Beyşehir. It is used in the medicine industry. It can also be dried and drunk as a tea. We recommend it not to be picked as it is in danger of extinction in Turkey, as picking is prohibited and there is a penalty. Beyşehir Lake National Park is one of the rare areas where lake bulbs grow in nature. This plant, which emerges in mid-April, can be seen in nature until the end of May. The areas where it is located take on a white appearance even when it is in bloom. This scene attracts the attention of nature lovers and photographers.”