Gloriosa superba Seeds - Flame Lily - Indigenous South African Native Bulbous Climber

Gloriosa superba Seeds

Family : Colchicaceae
Common Names: Flame lily, Fire lily, Gloriosa lily, Glory lily, Superb lily, Climbing lily and Creeping lily

Gloriosa superba is a striking perennial tuberous climbing plant with brilliant wavy-edged yellow and red flowers, resembling flames.

The name Gloriosa comes from the word gloriosus, which means handsome and superba from the word superb clearly alluding to the beautiful flowers which appear from November to March in the Southern Hemisphere.

Gloriosa are perennial herbs that climb or scramble over other plants with the aid of tendrils at the ends of their leaves and can reach 3 meters in height. They have showy flowers, distinctive because of their pronouncedly reflexed petals, like a Turk’s cap lily, ranging in colour from a greenish-yellow through yellow, orange, red and sometimes even a deep pinkish-red.

Naturally it occurs in semi-shade areas among bush on hillsides along the Cape coast, Natal, Swaziland, Northern Province, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.

Flame lilies are grown commercially for a chemical compound. Gloriosa superba has some medicinal uses and are used in preparations to treat intestinal worms, bruises, infertility, skin problems and impotence.

It is also said that sap from the leaf tip is used for pimples and skin eruptions by the Tswana and Masai.

Gloriosa is a genus of five or six species in the plant family Colchicaceae, from tropical Africa and Asia. They are tender, tuberous rooted deciduous perennials, adapted to summer rainfall with a dormant dry season. Their native range is Africa, Southeastern Asia and parts of Malaysia, but they are now widely cultivated. Other Gloriosa species include Gloriosa flavovirens, Gloriosa grandiflora, Gloriosa lindeni, Gloriosa littonioides, Gloriosa revoilii and Gloriosa rigidifolia.