Gloriosa superba (100 seeds)

Gloriosa superba (100 seeds)

Family: Colchicaceae

Common names: flame lily, climbing lily, Turk’s cap, superb lily, glory lily, gloriosa lily, vlamlelie, boslelie, geelboslelie, rooiboslelie

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.

Sowing instructions: Sow seeds in spring. Germination is best at warm temperatures between 20º and 25ºC, but not higher. Remove the fleshy outer coat and 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.

Locality: Ex Hort. Harvest: July 2024