| Gloriosa superba | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Liliales |
| Family: | Colchicaceae |
| Genus: | Gloriosa |
| Species: | G. superba |
| Binomial name | |
| Gloriosa superba | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
List
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Gloriosa superba is a species of flowering plant in the familyColchicaceae. Common names includeflame lily,climbing lily,creeping lily,glory lily,[3]gloriosa lily,tiger claw,[4] andfire lily.[5]
Thisherbaceousperennial grows from a fleshyrhizome.[6] It isscandent, climbing using modified leaf-tiptendrils, the stem reaching 4 m (13 ft) long.[7] The leaves are mainly alternately arranged, but they may be opposite, as well. They are somewhat lance-shaped and tipped with tendrils, and they are up 13 to 20 cm (5.1 to 7.9 in) long.[6][8] The showy flower has sixtepals each up to 5 to 7.6 cm (2.0 to 3.0 in) long.[6][9] They are generally bright red[6] to orange[8] at maturity, sometimes with yellowish bases. The margins may be quite wavy. The sixstamens also are long, up to 4 cm (1.6 in), and each bears a large anther at the tip that drops large amounts of yellowpollen.
Thestyle may be more than 6 cm (2.4 in) long. One flower may weigh over 2.5 g (0.09 oz).[10] The fruit is a fleshy capsule up to 6 to 12 cm (2.4 to 4.7 in) long[7][11] containing red seeds.[6][8]Cultivars of this popular garden plant may vary from these wild-type characteristics; the cultivar 'Lutea' has all-yellow tepals, 'Citrina' is yellow with red markings, and 'Nana' is a dwarf.[4] Whitish forms are also known.[11]
Gloriosa superba is native to much of Africa, except North Africa. It is native to much of tropical Asia including the Indian subcontinent and mainland and maritime Southeast Asia. It is also native to south-central China.[2]
The species has been introduced to eastern Australia (New South Wales andQueensland),Alabama in the United States,Suriname, parts of the Caribbean, and various Pacific Islands.[2][5]
The plant likely ispollinated bybutterflies andsunbirds.[7] It grows in many types of habitat, including tropical jungles,[4] forests, thickets,[6] woodlands, grasslands, andsand dunes.[7] It can grow in nutrient-poor soils.[citation needed] It can be found at as high as 2,500 m (8,200 ft) in elevation.[7]
This plant is poisonous, andtoxic enough to cause human and animal fatalities if ingested. It has been used to commit murder, to achieve suicide,[11] and to kill animals.[7] Every part of the plant is poisonous, especially thetuberous rhizomes. As with other members of the Colchicaceae, this plant contains high levels ofcolchicine, a toxicalkaloid. It also contains the alkaloid gloriocine. Within a few hours of the ingestion of a toxic amount of plant material, a victim may experiencenausea,vomiting, numbness, tingling around the mouth, burning in the throat, abdominal pain, andbloody diarrhea, which leads todehydration.[citation needed] As the toxic syndrome progresses,rhabdomyolysis,ileus,[11]respiratory depression,hypotension,coagulopathy,haematuria,altered mental status,seizures,coma, andascending polyneuropathy may occur.[citation needed] Longer-term effects include peeling of the skin and prolonged vaginal bleeding in women.[11] Colchicine is known to causealopecia. One case report described a patient who accidentally ate the tubers and then experienced hair loss over her entire body, including completebaldness.[12] Poisonings can occur when the tubers are mistaken forsweet potatoes[11] oryams and eaten.[12] The plant can be dangerous for cats, dogs, horses,[13] and livestock,[14] as well.
The alkaloid-rich plant has long been used as a traditional medicine in many cultures. It has been used in the treatment ofgout,infertility,open wounds,snakebite,ulcers,arthritis,cholera,colic,kidney problems,typhus,[7]itching,leprosy,[9]bruises,sprains,hemorrhoids,cancer,impotence,nocturnal emission,[citation needed]smallpox,sexually transmitted diseases, and many types of internalparasites.[14] It is ananthelmintic.[citation needed] It has been used as alaxative and analexiteric.[9] The sap is used to treatacne andhead lice.[citation needed] In a pregnant woman, it may causeabortion.[9][14][7] In parts ofIndia, extracts of the rhizome are applied topically duringchildbirth to reducelabor pain.[citation needed]
Other uses for this plant includearrow poison inNigeria[14] and snake repellent in India.[11] Some cultures consider it to bemagical.[citation needed] The flowers are part of religious rituals.[11]
This species is thenational flower of Zimbabwe.[7][15][16][17][18] In 1947,Queen Elizabeth II received a diamondbrooch in the shape of this flower for her twenty-first birthday while traveling inRhodesia, now called Zimbabwe.[19]
InTamil, this flower is commonly known as Karthigaipoo (கார்த்திகைப்பூ) because it grows during the Tamil month ofKarthigai (November–December). It is the state flower ofTamil Nadu state in India.[20] It was also designated as the national flower of the de facto state ofTamil Eelam by theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), because it contains all the colours contained in the Tamil Eelam national flag and because it grows during November, coinciding withMaaveerar Naal.[21]
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The plant can bepropagated sexually by seed orvegetatively by dividing the rhizome. Problems during cultivation include inadequate pollination, fungal diseases such asleaf blight andtuber rot, and crop pests such as themothsPolytela gloriosa andChrysodeixis chalcites.[14] It is also a crop that is slow to propagate; each split tuber produces only one extra plant in a year's time.In vitro experiments withplant tissue culture have been performed,[citation needed] and some increased the yield.[22]
Both the fruit and the rhizome are harvested. The fruits are dried and split, and the seeds are removed and dried further. The seeds and rhizomes are sold whole, as powder, or as oil extracts.[14]
In general, this plant is common in the wild. It is in great demand for medicinal use, so it is cultivated on farms in India, but most plant material sold into the pharmaceutical trade comes from wild populations.[7] This is one reason for its decline in parts of its native range. In Sri Lanka it has become rare, and inOrissa it is thought to be nearingextinction.[7] On the other hand, it has beenintroduced outside its native range and has become a weed which may beinvasive. In Australia, for example, it now can be found growing in coastal areas ofQueensland andNew South Wales.[8] It also is cited as an invasive species in theCook Islands,French Polynesia,Kiribati, and Singapore.[5]
