Gloriosa Lily, Climbing Lily, Flame Lily
Gloriosa superba

Family: Colchicaceae

What it is like

Gloriosa superba or commonly known as Climbing Lily, Flame lily, Creeping Lily, Glory Lily, Gloriosa Lily, Tiger Claw, and Fire Lily, is a perennial herb growing from a fleshy rhizome. It is scandent using tendrils. The stem reaches 4 m long. The leaves are arranged alternately or opposite. The flowers are brightly red to orange in color, with yellowish bases. Climbing lily is poisonous, especially its tuberous rhizome, due to its high content of a toxic alkaloid called colchicine. However, the plant has long been used in traditional medicine particularly for gout, open wounds, infertility, sprains, cancer, smallpox, sexually transmitted diseases, leprosy, kidney problems, etc. It is also used as a laxative and an alexiteric. In Nigeria, the plant is used in arrow poison.

Gloriosa superba is a deciduous Perennial Climber growing to 2.5 m (8ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9. The flowers are pollinated by Sugar Birds, Butterflies. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 2.5

Where it is found

Locally common in brushwood, hedges and open forest, usually at elevations up to 300 metres, occasionally to 600 metres.

Tropical and southern Africa, through the Indian Ocean and tropical Asia to Malaysia and Indonesia.

Conservation Status: Status: Least Concern

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, China, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Indochina, Laos, Mozambique, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 0

Medicine

Rating: 4

Although poisonous, the plant is often used in traditional medicine both in Asia and in Africa. Mainly used in external applications, it is also often injested in small quantities. In Ayurvedic medicine the tuber is used as an abortifacient, alterative, antiarthritic, antihaemorrhoid, antileprotic, antiperiodic, cholagogue, purgative and tonic. It is considered to be useful in the treatment of ulcers, leprosy, piles, inflammations, abdominal pains, itching and thirst. At low doses, the tuber is considered to have numerous medicinal applications in Africa. A decoction is taken to treat abdominal disorders, to induce abortions, as a tonic and as a purgative. The tuber is sometimes used as an emetic to induce vomiting as a means of removing toxins from the body. The tuber is also part of a preparation used to treat impotence and to act as an abortifacient. The sap is an ingredient of a drink that induces sleep. Applied externally, the tuber is used in the treatment of bruises, colic, chronic ulcers, haemorrhoids and cancer. It is put into poultices to relieve neuralgia, and used in topical applications to treat arthritic conditions, swellings of the joints, sprains and dislocations. It is claimed to have antidotal properties to snakebites. The macerated tuber is also taken against smallpox, leprosy, eczema, itch, and ringworm. A paste made from the tuber is applied externally to facilitate parturition. The juice of the tuber is used as ear drops to treat earache, and is also applied to the gums to treat painful teeth. The anthelmintic properties of the tuber, fruits and leaves are widely known and they are all used to treat infections of Guinea worms, schistosomes (causing bilharzia), roundworm, tapeworm, liver fluke and filaria. Leaf juice, unripe fruits mixed with butter, and tuber macerate are frequently used to kill head lice. Soup made from leaf or tuber sap is given to women suffering from sterility, delayed puberty, delayed childbirth and menstrual problems. The leaves are administered in an enema as a decongestant. The juice of the plant is drunk as an antimalarial. Used externally, a leaf decoction is applied as a liniment to ease coughs, general pain and dropsy of the scrotum. Leaf juice is instilled into the nose in the treatment of fainting. The crushed leaves are applied to the chest to treat asthma and to affected areas to treat rheumatism. The herb is burnt and the ash applied to wounds in order to promote healing. Sap from the leaf tip is applied externally to treat pimples and skin eruptions The seeds are a commercial source of colchicine, an amino alkaloid which is biosynthetically derived from the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine. The tubers also contain colchicine, but the content of the seeds is reported to be up to ten times higher, hence the importance attached to good seed set when the plant is grown for colchicine production. Colchicine is used in the treatment of gout and rheumatism. At present it is the drug of choice for acute gout. It reduces the inflammatory reaction to urate crystals deposited in the joints. Because of its highly toxic nature, colchicine should be used under supervision of a physician.

Abortifacient: Causes an abortion.

Alterative: Causes a gradual beneficial change in the body, usually through improved nutrition and elimination, without having any marked specific action.

Anthelmintic: Expels parasites from the gut.

Antiarthritic: Treats arthritis.

Antiasthmatic: Treats asthma.

Antihaemorrhoidal: Treats haemorrhoids (piles). This would probably be best added to another heading.

Antiinflammatory: Reduces inflammation of joints, injuries etc.

Antiperiodic: Counteracts recurring illnesses such as malaria.

Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.

Cancer: Used in the treatment of cancer.

Cholagogue: Increases the flow of bile and its discharge from the body.

Decongestant: Removes phlegm and mucous, especially from the respiratory system.

Eczema: Used in the treatment of eczema - a chronic health condition that affects the skin, causing redness, dryness, itching and infections.

Emetic: Induces vomiting.

Leprosy: Used to treat leprosy - a chronic bacterial infection of the skin and superficial nerves (in the skin) caused by Mycobacterium leprae.

Malaria: Treats malaria - an acute febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites spread to people through the bites of mosquitos.

Odontalgic: Treats toothache (temporary measure only) and other problems of the teeth and gums.

Parasiticide: Treats external parasites such as ringworm This should perhaps be joined with Parasiticide in

Purgative: A drastic laxative causing a cleansing or watery evacuation of the bowels, usually with a griping pain.

Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Other

Rating: 2

Other Uses: Colchicine, obtained from all parts of the plant but particularly the seeds, inhibits cell division and is used in plant breeding to produce polyploidy. Extracts of the shoots and of the tubers of the plant show strong nematicidal activity, which can be largely attributed to colchicine.

Parasiticide: Kills external body parasites such as hair lice.

How it is grown

A plant of the lowland tropics and subtropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 600 metres, the plant has a clear preference for seasonal, monsoon climates with a pronounced dry season. The plant is not resistant to frost. Succeeds in full sun to partial shade. Prefers a moist but well-drained, humus-rich soil. Prefers an acid to neutral soil. The plant has often escaped from cultivation and has been classified as 'Invasive' in some areas. Plants propagated from seeds take 3 - 4years to bloom. Plants can flower and produce seeds all year round, though mainly during the rainy season. In Tamil Nadu, India, small-scale plantings, raised from tubers, yield on average 250 - 300 kilos of seed per hectare from the second year onwards. In South Africa the seed production of 'wild-type' plants is positively correlated with height of the plant, and is on average 258 seeds per plant for plants 60 - 65cm tall compared with about 30 seeds per plant for plants 30 - 40cm tall. Flowering Time: Late Spring/Early Summer Mid Summer Late Summer/Early Fall. (early summer, mid summer, late summer, early fall, mid fall, late fall). Bloom Color: Red-Orange Bright Yellow. (red, orange, yellow, pink). Spacing: 36-48 in. (90-120 cm).

Propagating it: Seed - Chemical scarification (e.g. with 1% hypochlorite) or removal of the sarcotesta reduces seed dormancy from 6 - 9 months to about 4 months, and accelerates germination from 29 - 30 days to 11 - 15 days. Germination rates as high as 97% were reached for seeds incubated at 20 - 25?c for a period of 31 days. Higher temperatures have adverse effects. Vegetative propagation by tubers is a common practice, but not very suitable for the establishment of large plantings. The maximum number of daughter corms produced per plant is two. Separating the bilobed hypopodial tubers produces a higher percentage of flowering plants than leaving the tubers undivided (about 97% versus about 63%). Tuber dormancy can be overcome by soaking in continuously aerated water. Small tubers have been found to have a higher multiplication rate than bigger ones.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Perennial Climber

Hardiness: 8-12

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

The whole plant is highly toxic due to the presence of the alkaloid colchicine. Diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pains are often the first signs of poisoning. The diarrhoea may become severe and haemorrhagic, and can thus lead to metabolic acidosis, dehydration, hypotension and shock. A burning sensation in the throat, stomach and skin may also be an early sign of intoxication. Severe reactions include extensive vascular damage and acute renal toxicity with oliguria and haematuria. The patients may develop convulsions, delirium, muscle weakness, neuropathy and ascending paralysis of the central nervous system. In patients who have taken an overdose of Gloriosa superba bulbs, death occurs as a result of respiratory depression and cardiovascular collapse.(All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested)

Its other names

Local names

Cumaretron, Cumaro-turo, Papassuque, Tititamba, african honeysuckle, agnisikha, aranha de emposse, bisalanguli, climbing lily, climbing-lily, creeping lily, creeping-lily, flame lily, flame-lily, flamelily, garbhanut, garras de tigre, gloriosa, glory lily, glory-lily, halini, haritali phut, kalappai, kalihari, kalihari, karianag, kariyari, kewari, khadiyanag, kimanja nouchawi, kizhangu, klänglilja, kolikutumana gade, langali, langalika, le gloriosa, lis de malabar, lis glorieux, lis grimpant, lírio-trepador, la?gali (tuberous root), mathonni, mkalamu, pan, potthidumpa, ruhmeskrone, superb glory, tiger's claw.

Synonyms

Eugone superba (L.) Salisb. Gloriosa angulata Schumach. Gloriosa cirrhifolia Stokes Gloriosa doniana