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Flame Lily (Gloriosa superba)
The species, the national flower of Zimbabwe, is one of the most toxic ornamental plants in the world; it contains colchicine in all its parts, and there is no antidote.
With its wavy petals, vibrant colours and a shape reminiscent of small flames, the flame lily is one of the most remarkable flowers in the plant kingdom.
Its exotic appearance attracts attention and inspires admiration, but it conceals a danger few people know about: every part of the plant contains toxic substances capable of causing severe poisoning when ingested.
Scientifically known as Gloriosa superba, this species combines elegance and danger in a single structure, showing that, in nature, beauty is not always synonymous with harmlessness.
The tuber and seeds contain the highest concentrations of toxins, with a human lethal dose of 4–7 g of dried tuber.
CLASSIFICATION:
Kingdom Plantae | Order Liliales | Family Colchicaceae | Species Gloriosa superba L., 1753 | Synonyms: G. rothschildiana | IUCN Status: Least Concern.
MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION
Perennial climbing herbaceous geophyte, 0.8–4 m tall.
Fleshy, V/L-shaped tuberous corm, morphologically similar to sweet potato — a cause of accidental poisoning.
Glabrous twining stem.
Alternate lanceolate leaves, 6–15 cm long, with a unique diagnostic feature: an elongated apex modified into a tendril/cirrus that coils around supports (visible in your photos), enabling the plant to climb.
Solitary, actinomorphic flowers with 6 free tepals, 5–7.6 cm long, strongly reflexed, with wavy, crisped margins and two colours: an intense yellow base and a scarlet-red apex.
6 long, divergent stamens with yellow anthers.
Capsule fruit, 6–12 cm long.
SOURCES:
Trilha Selvagem
Royal Botanic Gardens
Wisconsin Horticulture
iNaturalist
Its exotic appearance attracts attention and inspires admiration, but it conceals a danger few people know about: every part of the plant contains toxic substances capable of causing severe poisoning when ingested.
Scientifically known as Gloriosa superba, this species combines elegance and danger in a single structure, showing that, in nature, beauty is not always synonymous with harmlessness.
The tuber and seeds contain the highest concentrations of toxins, with a human lethal dose of 4–7 g of dried tuber.
CLASSIFICATION:
Kingdom Plantae | Order Liliales | Family Colchicaceae | Species Gloriosa superba L., 1753 | Synonyms: G. rothschildiana | IUCN Status: Least Concern.
MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION
Perennial climbing herbaceous geophyte, 0.8–4 m tall.
Fleshy, V/L-shaped tuberous corm, morphologically similar to sweet potato — a cause of accidental poisoning.
Glabrous twining stem.
Alternate lanceolate leaves, 6–15 cm long, with a unique diagnostic feature: an elongated apex modified into a tendril/cirrus that coils around supports (visible in your photos), enabling the plant to climb.
Solitary, actinomorphic flowers with 6 free tepals, 5–7.6 cm long, strongly reflexed, with wavy, crisped margins and two colours: an intense yellow base and a scarlet-red apex.
6 long, divergent stamens with yellow anthers.
Capsule fruit, 6–12 cm long.
SOURCES:
Trilha Selvagem
Royal Botanic Gardens
Wisconsin Horticulture
iNaturalist
Humpata, Angola
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