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 Gloriosa rothschildiana | ||||||||||||
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Gloriosa (Latin for glorious). Syn., Meththoica. Liliaceae. Tall, weak-stemmed plants, supporting themselves by means of tendril-like prolongations of the leaves. Odd and handsome plants, to be grown in a warmhouse.
Leaves oblong, lanceolate or lance-ovate: fls. many and showy, long-stalked, borne singly in the axils of the upper lvs.; perianth of 6 distinct long segms. which are undulate or crisped, and reflexed after the manner of a cyclamen, variously colored; stamens 6, long and spreading, with versatile anthers; ovary 3- loculed; style long, and bent upward near the base.— Five or perhaps more tropical species, all African, and 1 also Asian.
Gloriosas are not difficult to grow. The brightest flowers are produced in sunlight. The plants grow from tubers. These tubers should be rested in early winter, and started in pots in January to March. The plants bloom in summer and fall. When potting the old tubers, offsets may be removed (when they occur) and grown separately for the production of new plants. The tubers may be cut in two for purposes of propagation. Let the plants stand near a pillar or other support. Give freely of water when the plants are growing. In this country they are sometimes bedded out in summer. Gloriosas are sometimes grown outdoors in summer in Massachusetts, and the plants so treated are not much inclined to climb and flower so freely as under glass. In Florida, they may be grown permanently in the open. Success with gloriosa depends on having strong bulbs. Consult Bulbs.
Gloriosa is a genus of five species in the plant family Colchicaceae, from tropical Asia and Africa. They are tuberous rooted deciduous perennials, adapted to a monsoon climate with a dormant dry season.
Gloriosa 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 red or orange flowers, distinctive because of their pronouncedly reflexed petals, like a Turk’s cap lily. The plant is sometimes called the Glory Lily or Flame Lily. G. rothschildiana is the national flower of Zimbabwe and was the national flower of Rhodesia.
The most common cultivated species are G. superba and G. rothschildiana.
All parts of the plant are poisonous; the corms of the plant are used for extracting colchicine.
