Jeanette Atkinson

The Gloriosa superba, or Flame Lily, is a striking flower with a long bloom, but needs to be contained in the Florida garden.

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Want knockout gorgeous, trouble-free flowers that love our hot, rainy summers? Then try Gloriosa superba, also known, among other names, as Gloriosa Lily, Flame Lily, and Gloriosa rothschildiana.

But do yourself a big favor — keep this beauty trellised in a pot. That is unless you’d like your entire yard covered with them.

While not listed as a noxious exotic by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, its invasive potential is real, and it has escaped cultivation in several counties. In parts of coastal Australia it has become a serious problem, threatening native dune plants, and poisoning birds and other animals. Once more, keep it potted and never dispose of it other than in your trash receptacle

Flower or sculpture?

Gloriosa has an unusual bold, energetic look. The flower looks “inside out,” like an umbrella that has been caught in a sudden gust. It also could be described as a “cup and saucer.”

Its six distinct petals arch back sharply to form a cup shape, with the six stamens radiating out from the bases of the petals to suggest a saucer. The flower looks like it barely can contain its energy — that it is about to leap from its stalk. The petals of the most common Gloriosa are bright crimson with wavy yellow edges. The petals and stamens turn a deep rose with age. Dwarf, yellow, orange-yellow, and deeper red varieties are available as well.

Gloriosa is a vine and can reach 6 feet or more in height. In contrast with the muscularity of the blooms, the leaves are delicate and graceful. They taper to curling tendrils which cling to anything they encounter, and are ornamental in themselves

Gloriosas grow best with a trellis, pot pergola, or other support. Otherwise they flop on the ground or scramble over and through nearby plants.

For great, long-lasting cut flowers, Gloriosa can’t be beat. It adds interest to arrangements and is bold enough to stand alone.

Because its bright orange pollen leaves an indelible stain, caution is advised when working with or around the blooms. Some floral designers remove the anthers, the pollen-bearing structures at the end of the stamens.

Growing them

Plants can be grown from seed or tubers, but flowering will occur sooner with tubers — usually in the first season. Lay the tubers horizontally about 3 inches deep in a quick-draining potting mix. Use a large pot to balance the height of the vines.

Add a slow-release pelleted flower and vegetable fertilizer or organic fertilizer according to recommendations on the package after foliage appears.

For maximum bloom, give the plant a moderately sunny position. If it gets too hot and dry the foliage will turn yellow or even burn brown. It will not bloom well in shade. Gloriosas like plenty of water, but will rot if the soil stays soggy. Once it starts blooming, the vine will produce flowers throughout the summer and even into late fall. Cutting the tops of the vine may reduce flowering.

Like other bulbous plants, Gloriosas need an annual rest period. Sometime in the late summer or fall the vines will lose their vigor, turn yellow, then brown, and break off at the soil level. Tubers may be lifted and dried, or the pots can be left alone outside in areas not subject to hard freezes — no problem for us. Basically, treat Gloriosa like Amaryllis.

Lovely, but scary

As with so many desirable ornamentals, Gloriosa is extremely poisonous. All parts, and especially seeds and tubers, are highly toxic. Take special care with seed pods and tubers to ensure that animals or children don’t chew on them. The sap can cause skin irritation for some people. All parts of the plant contain colchicine and other dangerous alkaloids.

As is the case with many poisons, colchicine has medicinal properties, among them treatment for gout and cancer. Gloriosa is used in folk remedies in Asia and southern Africa.

The native habitat of Gloriosa superba is characterized by nutrient-poor, fast-draining soils, and distinct dry and rainy seasons. Obviously it would feel right at home here.

In pots only, please

For practical, if not ecological reasons, planting it in ground in south Florida can be a recipe for disaster. Over a period of years it will spread rampantly. Because the tubers store so much food, repeated applications of herbicide are necessary to kill the vine. Even when green, the vines are brittle and break off at the soil level, so unwanted plants can’t be pulled out.

Moreover, regardless of how shallowly they are planted, the tubers move down into the sand, so major digging is required to get at them. From all points of view it just works better to keep these intriguing plants containerized.

If you want to get rid of your plants, don’t simply throw it away behind a bush. It’s best to put this into a bag in the trash collection bin.

Despite its potential drawbacks, Gloriosa superba is well worth growing, and a few tubers can result in years of summer pleasure.

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For more information

• Wunderlin/Hansen Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants, www.plantatlas.usf.edu

• USDA Plants Database: plants.usda.gov

Where to buy

• Park’s Seeds; www.parkseed.com; (800) 213-0076

• McClure & Zimmerman Quality Flowerbulb Brokers; www.mzbulb.com; (888) 883-6998

• Thompson & Morgan; www.tmseeds.com; (800) 274-7333