Gloriosa
(from gloriosus, full of glory; referring to the handsome flowers). SYNS. Clynostylis, Methonica. ORD. Liliaceoe. A genus comprising three species of very ornamental, usually stove bulbs. Flowers axillary, in racemes on the ends of the stems, which bear leaves remarkable in having tendreill-like apices. Propagation is effected by seeds and by offsets. Seeds are best inserted singly, in small pots, in January, using a light sandy soil, and plunging in bottom heat. Offsets should be carefully removed from old bulbs when starting them in spring, as the roots are very brittle, and are easily injured if division in attempted at other times. Good drainage is always essential, and an open soil, composed of loam and peat in about equal proportions, is recommended. The bulbs should be carefully repotted in February, and then started in a temperature of about 70deg. Plenty of heat and moisture are necessary in summer; but, as the growth ripens, water should be gradually withheld. During winter, the soil must be kept quite dry, and the pots laid on their sides in a warm place. Exposure to cold, when at rest, is a point specially to be avoided. The winter treatment applies alike to seedlings and established bulbs. Gloriosas are frequently very slow-growing, and are impatient of root disturbance on account of their brittleness. The seasons of growth and complete rest in a warm place, are most important considerations in their culture.
G. superba (superb).* fl. deep rich orange and red; perianth segments narrow, deeply undulate and crispate, erect. summer. h. 6ft. Tropical Asia and Africa, 1690. (A. B. R. 129; B. R. 77.) G. virescens (greenish). fl. deep orange and yellow; perianth segments spathulate; margins not crispate, and but slightly undulated. h. 4ft. Mozambique, 1823. (B. M. 4938.) G. Plantii is the form with reddish-yellow flowers. The variety grandiflora (Meihonica grandiflora, B. M. 5216) is a tropical African form, with much larger flowers than the type.