Flame lilies (floriosa superba) is an extremely poisonous plant and yet has been used for medicinal purposes; to commit murder; and interestingly enough, for cancer treatments.

It is used for traditional medicines for a variety of complaints in Africa and India. In India it is known as Telugu, and in India it is called Naabhi. I suggest that if you visit those areas, you don’t try this particular traditional concoction.

In the United States it is also known by the names fire lily, glory lily, gloriosa lily, superb lily and creeping lily.

It is native to China, Africa and India.

In Africa, moles and porcupines can consume the tubers with no ill effects.

In India, where it is also a native plant, it is being used widely for medicine, and this industry has uprooted the plant extensively, causing it to be on the verge of extinction, according to the Wildlife Institute of India. The roots and seeds are especially toxic and are used for suicide.

This plant is naturalized in Australia. There, it is considered a rampant and dangerous, invasive weed. It creeps along the coastal dunes, killing native species and leading to the deaths of many native animals and birds that ingest it.

It also grows in some parts of the U.S. as an ornamental, but it is not common. It is not listed as endangered in the United States.

All parts of the plant contain the poison colchicine and are highly toxic if ingested. Just touching the plant can cause skin irritation. If you decide to grow this plant, make sure you wash your hands immediately after gardening around it.

If you would like to grow this plant, it is available as a tuber in the spring. Some gardening shops might have to special-order it for you. I would keep your animals away from it for their safety. It is a climber, so I raise mine in a raised bed and let it climb up my patio supports.

It is a hardy plant and doesn’t need any attention at all. It’s the most beautiful flower in my garden, and I look forward to it blooming every year. I have rich soil, enriched by compost and natural additives with no herbicides or pesticides. The lily loves it. The flame lily is supposed to like dry ground, but I water every few days, and it gets plenty of water. That has never seemed to bother it.

The photos that accompany this article are from my garden. It was a gift from a friend years ago, and it is still going strong. This year I had 26 blooms on the one plant.

Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel is executive director of the Community Hiking Club and president of the Santa Clara River Watershed Conservancy. If you’d like to be part of the solution, join the Community Hiking Club’s Stewardship Committee. Contact Dianne through communityhikingclub.org or at zuliebear@aol.com.