Gloriosa superba

The birth flower for April 16

Location: Aqua
Location: Copilot
Location: Kiba Park
Location: Kiba Park
Location: Kiba Park
Location: Aqua

Flower name
Gloriosa superba
Scientific name
Gloriosa superba
Aliasグロリオーサ, Gloriosa, 狐百合, 百合車, キツネユリ, ユリグルマ, Glory lily
Place of originTropical Africa and Asia
Place of floweringGarden, Cut flowers, flower arrangement, Greenhouse, Field
Flowering seasonJune, July, August

What is Gloriosa superba

Birth flowers for Apr 16, Dec 9

The birth flower for April 16 is ,Gloriosa.
A drop of flowers and poetry, one each day. From Kagiken's Flower Guide, we deliver words that bloom softly in your heart.
Aqua (Waterdrop Poetry, Illustration), Editing & Translation: Mizuho @Kagiken.

Gloriosa, Illustration by Aqua.
Note: The Japanese text in the illustration has the same meaning as Aqua's water droplet poem.
Aqua is a water spirit.

💧 Gloriosa: A Poem of Drops—“The Flower That Burns Spring”

by Aqua

The wind shifts, the light shifts
A fire ignites in the lukewarm air
Round and round the petals spin
Just like a dance of flames
Kindling a fire in someone’s heart
Illuminating someone’s path
Its name is Glory
Yet when it blooms, it stands alone
A proud flower that sets spring ablaze

Gloriosa

Gloriosa (Gloriosa, scientific name: Gloriosa) is a semi-climbing, semi-hardy bulbous plant native to tropical Africa, belonging to the genus Gloriosa in the Colchicum family.
It is also known as Gloriosa, Fox Lily, Lily Cart, and Glory Lily in English.
It is the national flower of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
Plant height ranges from 50 cm for dwarf varieties to about 200 cm for tall varieties.
The bulbs are slender and resemble yams in appearance.
From June to August, it produces striking flowers in vivid red, orange, or yellow, featuring six slender, wavy-edged petals that curve upward to form a balloon-like shape.
At the base of the flower, six stamens with pale green filaments and yellow anthers radiate outward like octopus legs.

Cultivated varieties have been bred in Japan as well.
It is used for fresh flowers, cut flowers, and floral arrangements.
The entire plant contains colchicine, a type of alkaloid, which is particularly abundant in the bulbs.
While it does not affect cultivation or ornamental value, it is highly toxic and cannot be eaten; however, the toxin has long been considered a specific remedy for gout.

Common name: Gloriosa,
Scientific name: Gloriosa,
Other names: Gloriosa, Fox Lily, Lily Cart, Glory Lily,
Classification: Kingdom Plantae, Angiosperms, Monocots, Order Liliales, Family Colchicaceae, Genus Gloriosa,
Native Region: Tropical Africa,
Height: 50–200 cm,
Bulb: Resembles a long yam and is elongated (highly toxic),
Flowering Season: June–August, Flower Diameter: 10 cm, Flower Color: Red, Yellow, Orange, Pink,
[Stamens] Number: 6, Filament color: Light green, Anther color: Yellow
[Pistil] Stigma: 3-lobed, protruding perpendicularly forward from directly below the ovary,
Uses: Ikebana, floral arrangements, flower beds.
Note: The entire plant is highly toxic.

Related Pages
Gloriosa.
April's Birth Flower　