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Overview
Gloriosa superba Rothschildiana or the flame Lily is a tuberous climber from East Africa and therefore best suited to humid, warmer climates for cultivation.
These are delicate plants that need plenty of protection from the harsher elements like strong sun and wind, but they reward with spectacular flower displays.
The blooms resemble those of the Oriental Lily, in that they recurve backwards quite markedly, but these are not members of the Lily family at all.
They are amazing flowers and look great scrambling over a trellis but even better as very unusual cut flowers - where they will last well in a vase.
Soil: A light, well drained soil is important, though if planted in a container you can make up your own mix made up of three parts peatmoss, one part Perlite and one part sand.
Choose a sunny location but they will need shade from the hottest sun of the day.
Also ensure there is plenty of ventilation without exposure to damaging winds.
If you live in areas where winters are quite cool then keep them in pots to bring in over winter and place in growing position in spring as the soil warms.
Maintenance: It is important to keep the tubers in optimum hydration - don't let them dry out completely, but also don't let them sit in overly wet soil so they tubers rot. This applies to any time of the year especially in winter when they are dormant.
During the growing season keep them well watered, then allow to almost dry out before another good watering.
As growth really gets going, fertilise once a fortnight with a liquid formulation. This will encourage repeat blooming all through summer and even into autumn as well.
Diseases: Watch for dry or pale foliage which indicates that it is getting too much direct sun.
Curling leaves indicate the presence of red spider mites.
Lily Beetles can also be a bother with the best method of control being to squash them
Toxicity: All parts of this plant are toxic to humans and animals (colchicine and related alkaloids), especially the tuberous rhizomes so wear gloves when handling them and when cutting flowers, taking care to wash your hands afterwards.
Other Species: There are 12 species in the Gloriosa genus which was previously known as Littonia.
In parts of Queensland it is considered to be an invasive and dangerous weed that dominates coastal dunes, strangling other plants and causing the death of many birds and animals that ingest it.
Comments: Gloriosa superba Rothschildiana was named after Baron Z.W. Rothschild, a member of the banking dynasty and renowned ornithologist, who brought it back from Africa to show in the English Horticultural Society’s exhibition of 1901.
It is the national flower of Zimbabwe.
As with other toxic plants, when the compounds are used with great care they offer many medicinal benefits. Gloriosa is no exception being used to treat a wide variety of conditions, particularly in India.
Author: Bob Saunders.