The flamboyant Gloriosa superba

This is one of the earliest plants I acquired since I started keeping plants, and may have been in my possession since the early 2000s. Despite it being rather common in collections worldwide, Gloriosa, or fire lilies as they are often called, is seldom available in the Philippines and its dormancy period may have contributed to a less appreciative outlook on the part of many casual gardeners.

Gloriosa has scrambling, brittle stems that are supported by the twining tendrils of the leaf tips, similar to those found on Nepenthes, although not developing any further into a modified organ. The mature stems branch at the apex and it is where the flowers appear.

As the flowers ages, the yellow portions deepen in coloration.

The exuberant architectonic design of Gloriosa.

Gloriosa propagates asexually by means of daughter tubers which are curiously V-shaped, with one end longer than the other. I had these plants planted on the ground in my former residence, where their stems reach in excess of 4 m in length, but periodic floodings eventually diminished their numbers until one day I was only able to save two, very tiny tubers. Three years later and I have multiple plants again, happily growing and flowering in their now flood-free abode.

The undulations on the tepals can be observed even before the flower opens.

 Fire lilies are very variable, which has given rise to not a few superfluous scientific names as well as cultivar epithets- it even appears in many other common names. Some specimens have wide tepals, which may be yellow, maroon, red-orange, or purple, and with varying degrees of yellow edging. The ones with the narrow floral segments have the most undulate margins.

The flowers are frequently visited by a number of butterfly species which serve as pollinators. Seeds do form, but not in great numbers, and there are times when no seeds form even when pollination did appear to be successful. Because I do not harvest the seeds, it is not unusual to find seedlings sprouting on neighboring pots.

The twining tendril of the fire lily.

Gloriosa is a member of Family Colchiaceae, which is known for producing the alkaloid colchicine, which is used in traditional medicine and now as an important component in drugs used to treat gout and Behcet's disease. Additionally, the substance is used to produce seedless varieties of certain fruits. Colchicine, however, is also dangerously toxic especially when ingested. I am not going to get into the morbid details as you can doubtless do the research yourself if you are keen. In the Philippines, the only known representative of this family is Iphigenia indica, which appears to be rare and localized here.

As mentioned earlier, these plants do enter dormancy and require no special treatment when dormant. Once activity resumes, growth is rapid and flower buds can be expected to form in less than a month. Gloriosa grows in practically in any soil as long as drainage is not impeded. 

When I think about it, I may appreciate this plant less if it does not go into dormancy and the flowers appear throughout the year. The fact that these plants stay with me only within a short growing season each year and punctuate its brief presence with flamboyant flowers in megawatt colors only makes them even more interesting additions to the humble garden. 

The same plant, photographed after a rain in 2013.