Flame Lily Red – 5 Seeds

Flame Lily (Gloriosa superba) is a species of flowering plant in the family Colchicaceae. It is a striking climber with unusual and beautiful, red and yellow, flame-like flowers in summer. It is a deciduous, summer-growing climber up to 1.5 m tall, with tuberous roots. The slender stems are produced annually and are upright to scrambling and can grow up to 4 m long. Tubers sprout in spring, and a tuber sends up 1 to 6 stems. The leaves are shiny, bright green and are tipped in a tendril, which will cling to anything it touches. The stems die back in late summer and the tubers are dormant during winter. The showy flowers are borne in summer and are usually bi-coloured yellow and orange-scarlet, ageing a deeper shade of orange-red to purple.

Common names include: climbing lily, creeping lily, glory lily, gloriosa lily, tiger claw, agnishikha, fire lily, vlamlelie, boslelie, geelboslelie, rooiboslelie (Afr.); ihlamvu, ihlamvu-labafana, ihlamvu -lomfana nentombazana, ihlamvu lasolwandle, isikwali sasolwandle, isimiselo (isiZulu).

PLEASE NOTE: All parts of this plant, both above and below ground, but particularly the tubers, are extremely poisonous, and ingestion could be fatal. Keep the tubers and the seed capsules away from pets and children and do not let the sap come into contact with your mouth or eyes while working with them, as it can cause skin irritation.

Growing Flame Lily

Indoor Sowing: Spring.

Direct Sowing: Spring.

• Sow seeds in spring. Germination is best at warm temperatures between 20º and 25ºC, but not higher.
• Soak the seeds in warm water overnight.
• Use well-drained, sterile potting soil, press them into the soil and cover lightly.
• Keep the trays moist but not wet.
• Germination is erratic, occurring in 2 weeks to 3 months, with some seeds remaining dormant for up to 9 months.
• Seedlings can be planted out straight into the garden or their container as soon as they are large enough to handle, or pot them up and grow them on in the nursery.
• Grow in fertile, well-composted soil in a sunny, semi-shaded or lightly shaded position, and water well in spring and summer.
• They will tolerate poor soils, but perform better in fertile loamy soil.
• Young plants grow rapidly, but a plant takes 3–4 years to flower for the first time from seed.
• Allow them to scramble up through shrubs and trees or give them a string or thin-wire trellis to climb.
• Can be grown in containers.