Common name: Glory Lily, Gloriosa lily, Tiger claw, claw • Hindi: बचनाग bachnag, kadyanag, करी हरी kari hari, languli, उलट चन्दल ulatchandal • Marathi: कळ लावी Kal-lavi, indai, khadyanag, वाघचबका vaghachabaka • Tamil: கலப்பை கிழங்கு Kallappai kilangu • Malayalam: Kithonni, Mendoni • Telugu: అగ్నీసిఖా Agnisikha • Kannada: ಅಗ್ನೀಸಿಖೆ Agnisikhe, karadikanninagadde, siva-raktaballi, siva-saktiballi • Bengali: Bishalanguli, Ulatchandal • Oriya: garbhhoghhatono, meheriaphulo, ognisikha, panjangulia • Urdu: Kanol, Kulhar • Gujarati: દૂધિઓ Dudhio, વછોનાગ Vacchonag • Sanskrit: अग्निमुखी Agnimukhi, अग्निशिखा Agnisikha, ailni, garbhaghatini, Kalikari, Langalika • Nepali: नेपाली केवारा Nepali kewara
Botanical name: Gloriosa superba Family: Liliaceae (Lily family) Synonyms: Gloriosa rothschildiana, Gloriosa speciosa, Gloriosa simplex

Glory Lily is a most unusual and splendid flower, which is a sight to
behold. In bud, the pale green petals face downward. As the blossom
matures, the petals elongate and wrinkle and gradually arch backward while
sequencing through a spectrum of color from green to yellow to scarlet.
The stamens are extremely prominent and spread outward in graceful curves
that follow the petals in their backward progression. The flower is 3-5 in
in length. Glory Lily is a twining vine that is able to climb up with
tendrils formed at the tips of the leaves. Leaves are bright green and
lance shape, 2-3 in. long. The leaf tip elongates into a slender tendril
that coils around nearby supports to get a grip. A postal stamp was
issued by the Indian Postal Department to commemorate this flower.
| Photographed in Maharashtra. |
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