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Gloriosa superba
Gloriosa superba ., glory lily, Liliaceae, is a perennial, tuberous, climbing (by tendrils formed of the leaf apices), native of tropical Africa and Asia, and is frequent in the Indian country side.
The bush with flower buds to open flowers in different stages of development (Gloriosa superba1), young tubers (Gloriosa superba2), mature tuber (Gloriosa superba3), flowers at different phases of development (Gloriosa superba4, Gloriosa superba5 and Gloriosa superba6) and reddish yellow seeds (Gloriosa superba7) are illustrated. The change of colour of the petals and stamens is a sort of a pollination guide for the pollinating agents. The stigma is first receptive when the flowers are pale yellow, with petals tipped pink and the stamens are hardly out. When the anthers are mature they are on long filaments and the petals are half yellow and half red. When pollination was over, the petals turn completely red, and the stamens too develop colour.
Gloriosa superba has a prominent place among the toxic plants in Indian classical medical literature. Though the tuber is used as a stomachic, anthelminthic, to promote labour, as abortifacient, in neuralgic pains and skin troubles, it is highly toxic in large doses.
The toxicity of the plant is due to the alkaloids in the leaves, tuber and seeds, of which colchicine is of a wider interest. Colchicine is mainly used against gout and rheumatism. It is cytotoxic and mitostatic, used to induce polyploidy and is considered of use in treating certain types of cancer. Gloriosine and superbine are the other important alkaloid constituents.
Juice of leaves kills head lice.
Tubers and seeds of Gloriosa superba are an expensive export commodity. Now only material from cultivation can be exported while export of collections from the wild is prohibited.