A genus of flowering plants native to Africa and Asia, featuring bright climbing or trailing vines with distinctive flame-colored flowers.
From Latin 'gloriosus' (glorious, magnificent), named for the plant's showy flowers. The scientific name reflects the Victorian plant-naming tradition of giving ornamental plants Latin names suggesting their beauty.
Gloriosa superba (superb glorious lily) is native to India and Sri Lanka but became so beloved in Victorian gardens that many people think it's European—it's an example of how colonialism spread plants globally.
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