Dragon lily, climbing lily, flame lily, gloriosa, gloriosa lily, glory lily, superb lily, turk’s cap;Gloriosa superba

Gloriosa superba is commonly known as climbing lily, dragon lily, flame lily, gloriosa, gloriosa lily, glory lily, superb lily and turk’s cap. Ingesting the tubers causes severe poisoning in humans. All parts of this plant, both above and below ground, are extremely poisonous and ingestion could be fatal. The rhizomes are rich in the alkaloid colchicine.

This plant is also known as Clinostylis speciosa Hochst., Eugone superba (L.) Salisb., Gloriosa abyssinica A.Rich., Gloriosa angulata Schumach., Gloriosa caerulea Mill., Gloriosa carsonii Baker, Gloriosa cirrhifolia Stokes, Gloriosa doniana Schult. & Schult.f., Gloriosa graminifolia var. heterophylla Chiov., Gloriosa grandiflora (Hook.) O'Brien, Gloriosa homblei De Wild., Gloriosa leopoldii (Van Houtte ex Lem.) Van Houtte & Voss, Gloriosa lutea auct., Gloriosa nepalensis G.Don, Gloriosa plantii (Planch.) Loudon, Gloriosa rockefelleriana Stehlé & M.Stehlé, Gloriosa rothschildiana O'Brien, Gloriosa sampiana Pires de Lima, Gloriosa simplex L., Gloriosa speciosa (Hochst.) Engl., Gloriosa superba var. angustifolia Baker, Gloriosa superba f. doniana (Schult. & Schult.f.) T.Durand & Schinz, Gloriosa superba f. grandiflora (Hook.) Kuntze, Gloriosa superba var. superba, Gloriosa verschuurii Hoog, Gloriosa virescens Lindl., Gloriosa virescens var. grandiflora (Hook.) Baker, Gloriosa virescens var. leopoldii (Van Houtte ex Lem.) T.Durand & Schinz, Gloriosa virescens var. (Klotzsch ex Garcke) T.Durand & Schinz, Gloriosa virescens var. plantii (Planch.) T.Durand & Schinz, Gloriosa virescens var. platyphylla (Klotzsch) T.Durand & Schinz, Methonica abyssinica (A.Rich.) Walp., Methonica doniana (Schult. & Schult.f.) Kunth, Methonica gloriosa Salisb., Methonica grandiflora Hook., Methonica leopoldii Van Houtte ex Lem., Methonica petersiana Klotzsch ex Garcke, Methonica plantii Planch., Methonica platyphylla Klotzsch, Methonica superba (L.) Crantz, and Methonica virescens (Lindl.) Kunth

Medicinal Properties and Uses:

The rhizomes contains two alkaloids, colchicine and gloriosine, which cause severe gastroenteritis, vomiting, abdominal pain, severe and bloody diarrhea, vaginal bleeding, weakness, and possible unconciousness. Severe hair loss is a consistent symptom of colchicine poisoning. Complete recovery is slow. Rhizomes abortifacient, used to treat boils, intestinal worms, bruises, infertility, skin problem and impotence. Tuber paste applied as an antidote in snakebite, and also on eyelids to cure conjunctivitis. Sap from the leaf tip used for pimples and skin eruptions.

Roots pounded, mixed with water and dropped in the eye to reduce blindness; root powder rubbed to cure leprosy, snakebite and scorpion sting. Roots are used for wound maggots; root of this plant and the root of Plumeria rubra pasted together and the paste given to a woman for complete infertility. Dried powdered roots introduced into the mouth of uterus for easy abortion. 

Tuber cut into pieces mixed with water and dropped into ears for stopping ear pains. Tuber ground into paste applied as bandage with leaves of Calotropis procera for skin eruptions. Tuber paste applied on wound for healing without leaving permanent scar on skin. Root or bulbs for impotency and barrenness. Tubers used for poisoning arrowheads. Veterinary medicine, tuberous roots used in smallpox of cattle and maggot wounds; in insect bite, root decoction given orally and the root extract employed as nasal and ear drops; crushed bulb applied on wound to kill the maggots. Sacred plant, the flowers used for initiating labor pains.

Common Names:
in East Africa: chikongoromandiaga, erimbi, gombogombo, hamo, homo, kandahi, kimagugu, marau, mbegebege, mberewere, mburiru, mburiu, mereganamunyi, mkolwe, molok, molong, mugobogobo, mwana funzi, roheratin, tengaluangoko, vitosambili
in Kenya: ngipirikala
in South Africa: geelboslelie, rooiboslelie, Vlamlelie; isimiselo, iHlamvu, iHlamvu comfana nentombhazana (Zulu)
in S. Rhodesia: iliQude
in Tanzania: enjani o-olasuria, gombo-gombo, mbalala, mbalawima, olchani loolasuria, ormusalala lao laguria
in Zambia: makoakoa
in Zimbabwe: nyakajongwe, nyan l’enkulu
in Bali: kembang sungsang (sungsang = upside down)
in Cambodia: var sleng dong dang
in India: adavi nabhi, adavinabhi, aghni shikhe, agni-sikha, agnijvala, agnimukhi, agnisikha, agnisikkha, ahijihoa, akkathangiballi, akkinichilam, amrita, ananta, anaravam, bajhi, barishkanda, bishalanguli, bisha, carrihari, chukuru, dipta, dusatin, ga pushpasaurabha, garbhagatini, garbhanut, garbhapatani, garbhapatini, garbhhaghhatini, hali, halini, haripriya, hiranyapuspi, indai, indrapushpika, indrapuspi, jhagrahi, kal-law, kal-lawi (= breeding a quarrel), kalaippaikizhangu, kalaipai-kizhangu, kalalavi, kalapaikelangu, kalappa gadda, kalappa-gadda, kalappaikkilangu,kalappaikkilanku, kaliha, kalihari, kalihari kand, kalikari, kalikarika, kaliyari, kallappakilangu, kanakapuspi, kandal, kandali, karltigaikkilangu, kartikkai-kizhangu, kalikari, kalihari, kannovina gida, karadikannina gida, karianag, kariari, karihari, karkari, khadyanag, lalukhari, lalukhri, langala, langalahvaya, langalaka, langalakhya, langalaki, langali, langalika, langaliki, languli, miria-phulo, miriako, mulim, nagakaria, nakta, nangulika, nanthori-kelangu, nat-ka-bachnack, one kilangu, posalapoligodi gadda, pottidumpa, pottinaabhhi, pottudumpa, rabigani, ravigani, rbhanuta, shakrapushpi, shivaraktiballi, shivashakti, sikkhajihoa, sivaraktiballi, sukra pushpika, sukrapushpika, svarnapushpa, totil, ulatchandal, vach nag, vachhnag, vadhavadiyo, vadhvardi, vaganantka, vagh-batasko, vaghahyo-davlyo arti, vanhivaktra, vasa naabhi, visalya, vishalya, vranahrita, vudyutajvala, wanahavu, zagda-zagadi
in Indonesia: katongkat, kembang jonggrang, kembang sungsang (sungsang = upside down), pacing tawa, sungsang
in Laos: phan ma ha
Malay name: bunga kembang songsang
in Thailand: dong dueng, ma khaa kong, waan kaam puu
in Tibet: la nga la, la nga li
in Vietnam: c[aa]y ng[os]t ngh[ex]o, c[aa]y nh[us] nho[as]i