Gloriosa superba L., Colchicaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Reject, score: 14 (Go to the risk assessment).

Other Latin names:  Gloriosa abyssinica A. Rich.; Gloriosa simplex auct.; Gloriosa speciosa (Hochst.) Engl.; Gloriosa virescens Lindl.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: jia lan

English: climbing lily, creeping lily, fire lily, flame lily, gloriosa lily, glory lily

Maori (Cook Islands): rire vaevae-moa, riri, riri vavai-moa, riri vaviā-moa, vavai moa

Rakahanga-Manihiki: tiare mokora

Tongarevan (spoken): lili vaevae mokolā

Tongarevan (written): riri vaevae mokorā

Habit:  herb

Description: 

Genus: "Scandent herbs, the rootstock a horizontal rhizome, the stem leafy, the leaves spirally arranged or subopposite, the upper ones with cirrhose tips; flowers solitary, large, borne on long, spreading pedicels, actinomorphic, hermaphrodite; perianth segments 6, free, lanceolate, keeled within at base, long-persistent; stamens 6, hypogynous, the anthers extrorse, medifixed and versatile, opening by longitudinal slits; ovary superior, 3-celled, the carpels cohering only by their inner margins, the ovules numerous, the style deflected at base and projecting from the flower more or less horizontally; fruit a loculicidal capsule with many seeds" (Smith, 1979; pp. 141-142).

Species:  A "scandent plant, climbing by leaftip tendrils.  The perianth segments, which are accrescent during anthesis and become reflexed, are striking in color, yellow proximally and at margins and dark red in the median portion"  (Smith, 1979; pp. 141-142).

Habitat/ecology:  In Australia, "scattered naturalized populations exist in the understorey of coastal dry sclerophyll forest and sand dune vegetation throughout south-east Queensland and New South Wales" (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; pp. 164-165).

Propagation:  "Propagation generally occurs from seeds, although mature plants can be divided and grown from tubers.  The hard seeds can remain dormant for 6-9 months." (Narain, 1977, cited in Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; pp. 164-165).

Native range:  "Southeastern Asia and parts of Malesia, but now widely cultivated" (Smith, 1979; pp. 141-142). Africa and Asia; also cultivated and naturalized elsewhere (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Lord Howe Island	Lord Howe Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) (p. 22) "A naturalised escape from cultivation". Voucher cited: I. Hutton 640 (K)
Cook Islands Northern Cook Islands	Manihiki Atoll		McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Cook Islands Northern Cook Islands	Penrhyn (Tongareva) Island		McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Cook Islands Northern Cook Islands	Rakahanga Atoll		McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Aitutaki Atoll	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 16)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island		McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 16) Voucher: Flynn 7088 (PTBG, BISH, US)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2002) (voucher ID: PTBG 386) Taxon name on voucher: Gloriosa superba L.
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island		McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 16)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Ma‘uke Island		McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Ma‘uke Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 16)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Miti‘aro Island		McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Miti‘aro Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 16)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island		McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 16) Voucher: Flynn 6988 (PTBG, BISH, US)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2002) (voucher ID: PTBG 334) Taxon name on voucher: Gloriosa superba
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (pp. 141-142) Voucher cited: DA 12335
French Polynesia Society Islands	Huahine Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Voucher cited: J. Florence & R. Tahuaitu 11755 (PAP) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 353) Voucher cited: BRY 26446
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Voucher cited: J. Florence 6598 (PAP) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Tuamotu Archipelago	Makatea (Ma‘atea) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Voucher cited: J. Florence 2996 (PAP) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Tuamotu Archipelago	Raro‘ia Atoll	introduced cultivated	Meyer, Jean-Yves/Fourdrigniez, Marie (2008) (p. 16)
French Polynesia Tuamotu Archipelago	Tikehau (Tikahau) Atoll	introduced invasive cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Voucher cited: J. Florence 7138 (PAP) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Rurutu Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Voucher cited: J. Florence 6195 (PAP) Naturalisée
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced cultivated	Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2013) (p. Voucher specimen) Voucher cited: ESP 306 (BISH 656034)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced cultivated	Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2013) (p. Voucher specimen) Voucher cited: Flynn 5645 (BISH 639991)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced cultivated	Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2013) (p. Voucher specimens) Voucher cited: Lyon s.n. (BISH 147017)
Kiribati Line Islands	Tabuaeran (Fanning) Atoll	introduced invasive	Wester, Lyndon (1985) (p. 19)
Kiribati Line Islands	Teraina (Washington) Island	introduced invasive	Wester, Lyndon (1985) (p. 19)
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Abemama Atoll	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Imada, Clyde T. (2004) (p. 29) Voucher: Imada 2003-161 (BISH 697772)
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Butaritari Atoll	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Imada, Clyde T. (2004) (p. 77)
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Tarawa Atoll	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 104)
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Tarawa Atoll	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Imada, Clyde T. (2004) (p. 28)
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 42)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced cultivated	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (p. 58) Voucher cited: Hassall 177 (SUVA)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (pp. 93-94) Voucher cited: MacKee 14443
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Sykes, W. R. (1970) (p. 255) Vouchers cited: CHR 169853
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Yuncker, T. G. (1943) (p. 33) Vouchers cited: Yuncker 9956 (BISH)
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate (2004) (p. 43)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced invasive cultivated	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 78)
Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna (Horne) Islands	Wallis (‘Uvea) Island	introduced cultivated	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2007) (p. 28)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive cultivated	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 165)
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	introduced cultivated	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 165)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive cultivated	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 165)
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Forests, thickets; 900-1300 m. S. Yunnan.
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 359) Ornamental.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 45) Casual
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Christmas Island Group	Christmas Island	introduced cultivated	Swarbrick, J. T. (1997) (p. 115)
Maldives Maldive Islands	Malè Atoll		Fosberg, F. R. (1957) (p. 15)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Gloriosa superba, please let us know.