Gloriosa Lily (Gloriosa superba)

General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit:	Vine
Life cycle:	Perennial
Sun Requirements:	Full Sun to Partial Shade
Minimum cold hardiness:	Zone 8b -9.4 °C (15 °F) to -6.7 °C (20 °F)
Maximum recommended zone:	Zone 11
Plant Height:	6 - 8 feet
Plant Spread:	3 - 4 feet
Leaves:	Deciduous
Flowers:	Showy
Flower Color:	Bi-Color: red & yellow
Flower Time:	Late spring or early summer Late summer or early fall
Underground structures:	Rhizome Tuber
Uses:	Suitable as Annual
Wildlife Attractant:	Bees Hummingbirds
Toxicity:	Leaves are poisonous Roots are poisonous Other: wear gloves when handling tubers/rhizomes
Propagation: Other methods:	Division Stolons and runners Offsets
Containers:	Suitable in 3 gallon or larger Needs excellent drainage in pots
Miscellaneous:	Goes Dormant
Conservation status:	Least Concern (LC)

Conservation status:

Common names

Gloriosa Lily
Flame Lily
Fire Lily
Superb Lily
Glory Lily

Photo Gallery

Location: Conservatory, Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor
Date: 2018-04-02
Gloriosa superba bloom just before the petals open out

Uploaded by arctangent

Location: Conservatory, Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor
Date: 2018-04-02
Gloriosa superba, view from the top, showing the petal tips that

Uploaded by arctangent

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2013-08-31

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2011-08-14
beneath a full moon

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: My garden, KY
Date: 3 August, 2023

Uploaded by poisondartfrog

Location: Southwest Florida
Date: summer 2010
The only climbing lily

Uploaded by Dutchlady1

Location: Conservatory, Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor
Date: 2018-04-02
Gloriosa superba- two views of a bloom half way between bud stage

Uploaded by arctangent

Location: central Illinois
Date: 8-10-12

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Western Kentucky
Date: 2012-10-13
Still climbing in October, beautiful!

Uploaded by Sharon

Location: Elizabeth Lawrence Garden at Wing Haven, Charlotte, NC
Date: 2022-06-23

Uploaded by LoriMT

Location: Pacific Northwest
Date: 9/28/2010

Uploaded by valleylynn

Location: central Illinois
Date: 9-3-12
HBs love Gloriosas

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by ksbhat

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2014-08-28

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: central Illinois
Date: 8-26-11
#pollination

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: my backyard
Date: 2012-06-01
So lovely...

Uploaded by piksihk

Uploaded by robertduval14

Location: Southwest Florida
Date: April 2014

Uploaded by Dutchlady1

Date: c. 1805
illustration by P.J. Redouté from his 'Les Liliacées', vol. 1,

Uploaded by scvirginia

Location: My garden in N E Pa.
Date: 2015-07-22

Uploaded by treehugger

Uploaded by SCButtercup

Location: Southwest Florida
Date: November 2013
Showing the tendrils on the leaves that make this a climbing Lily

Uploaded by Dutchlady1

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2011-05-11
tubers

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Albany Georgia
Date: 2016-05-17

Uploaded by Sherib381

Location: Tampa, FL
Date: 2016-01-13
At USF Botanical Gardens

Uploaded by mellielong

Uploaded by eclayne

Location: Southwest Florida
Date: April 2012
new bud at top, almost open bud at bottom center, full bloom at r

Uploaded by Dutchlady1

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2014-08-14

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by piksihk

Uploaded by piksihk

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2012-07-28
Green arch. Note the leave tip's climbing tendrils.

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Youngsville, LA
Date: 2013-07-09
By tabbycat

Uploaded by tabbycat

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2011-08-16

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: central Illinois
Date: 7-17-13

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Youngsville, LA
Date: 2017-06-25
By tabbycat

Uploaded by tabbycat

Uploaded by Cinta

Uploaded by kaleem

Uploaded by kaleem

Uploaded by Onewish1

Location: My garden in Kalama, Wa. Zone 8
Date: 2013-08-14

Uploaded by Joy

Uploaded by Joy

Location: Czech Republic, greenhouse Fata Morgana - Prague Botanic Garden - Troja
Photo courtesy of: Ivo Antusek

Uploaded by admin

Uploaded by Joy

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2015-03-31
After shiny red coat is removed,

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2015-05-07

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Southwest Florida
Date: May 2015

Uploaded by Dutchlady1

Uploaded by Dutchlady1

Uploaded by kaleem

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2014-06-02

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Southwest Florida
Date: March 2012
This is a bud just about to open.

Uploaded by Dutchlady1

Location: The Fata Morgana Greenhouse at Prague Botanic Garden
credit: Pavel Jakubův

Uploaded by robertduval14

Location: Southwest Florida
Date: January 2014

Uploaded by Dutchlady1

Uploaded by admin

Location: Czech Republic, greenhouse Fata Morgana - Prague Botanic Garden - Troja
Date: 2015-02-01
Photo courtesy of: Ivo Antusek

Uploaded by admin

Location: My garden in N E Pa.
Date: 2015-07-19

Uploaded by treehugger

Location: My garden in N E Pa.
Date: 2015-07-22
Bud beginning to open up.

Uploaded by treehugger

Uploaded by treehugger

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2008-07-09
Growing in a hanging basket

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2014-11-13

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by mellielong

This plant is tagged in:

Comments:

Posted by tabbycat (Youngsville, LA - Zone 9b) on Oct 20, 2018 9:26 PM concerning plant:

It's mid Oct. and my hanging basket of this plant has vines that have latched onto the tree branch it hangs from and has its last flower of the season. I know that because another vine in the pot has developed a 3" green seed pod full of future seeds. It loves the filtered sunlight it gets under the tree canopy. Soon all the leaves will turn yellow then brown to the soil, so I cut the vine back also to the soil but I know a secret. The pot is full of finger size tubers that will sprout again in spring and send out 4 or 5 new vines for next summer's flowers.

Reply to this comment
Posted by tabbycat (Youngsville, LA - Zone 9b) on Jun 16, 2018 2:59 PM concerning plant:

First bloom of 2018 opened June 15th. The plant is in a hanging basket in a Vitex tree just off my patio where it gets filtered sun all day. The plant is climbing up the hanger part of the basket 24 inches and now grabbing onto the branch it hangs from. This is the 4th year it has returned from tubers after dying back in winter. It usually travels 5 feet into the tree before cold weather arrives in Dec. here in zone 9.

Reply to this comment
Posted by jmorth (central Illinois) on Jun 15, 2014 12:54 AM concerning plant:

Winner of AGM from the RHS in 1993.

Reply to this comment
Posted by robertduval14 (Milford, New Hampshire - Zone 5b) on Sep 17, 2016 1:09 PM concerning plant:

National flower of Zimbabwe.

Reply to this comment
Posted by Sharon (Calvert City, KY - Zone 7a) on Oct 15, 2012 6:07 PM concerning plant:

This is a most amazing plant. I planted it in a pot during the worst of our summer drought. It grew in spite of the weather and has bloomed non stop since August. Until we have frost, my guess is that it will continue to bloom. Beautiful.

Reply to this comment
Posted by Dutchlady1 on Apr 6, 2012 6:39 AM concerning plant:

The only climbing Lily.

5 replies

Plant Events from our members
jmorth	On November 13, 2014	Miscellaneous Event Seed pods bursting, 1st time (in ~ 20 yrs) seed collected (usually deadheaded flowers)
jmorth	On November 12, 2014	Winterized Moved to basement where stored dry in pots till next May.
jmorth	On October 11, 2014	Maintenance performed Moved all but one of potted Gloriosas into garge to be w/o water till die down and cut back to ground. Will move pots into basement for dry storage over winter (basement avg temp ~ 60Â° F) w/n a couple of wks.
jmorth	On July 9, 2014	Bloomed
Lalambchop1	On October 19, 2018	Obtained plant Got tubers from Iris Reg 5 auction.
tabbycat	On April 15, 2024	Plant emerged Hanging basket was completely bare & over night 2 or 3 popped up.
tabbycat	On June 6, 2023	Bloomed late this year but 1st flower of 2023. Vine is only about 2' long.
tabbycat	On April 21, 2022	Plant emerged Found leaves on tubers in hanging pot
tabbycat	On March 21, 2022	Transplanted repotted to find about 5 tubers so in a hanging pot & watching for plants to emerge
tabbycat	On April 1, 2021	Plant emerged 4 sprouts Note: by May 1st 6" with leaves
piksihk	On June 1, 2021	Bloomed

» Post your own event for this plant

Discussion Threads about this plant

Thread Title	Last Reply	Replies
Beautiful Shot! by wcgypsy	Mar 5, 2013 11:33 PM	4
seed pod by gardengus	Aug 30, 2014 2:27 AM	5

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Gloriosa Gloriosa Lily (Gloriosa superba)

Gloriosa
Gloriosa Lily (Gloriosa superba)