Species (& synonyms)	Gloriosa superba L.
Vernacular name	Thondri, Kanvali poo, Kaandal, Senkandal, Sengalli poo (Tam.)
Family	LILIACEAE
Taxonomic status	Species
Habit	Tuberous herbaceous climber
Habitat	Sea level to semi-evergreen forest in a wide range of habitats except desert.
Original global distribution	Africa, Indo-Malaysia and Australia (Paleotropics).
Current regional distribution	Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu
- Elevation (m)	Sea level to 1,500
- Range (km^2)	> 50,000 (KA), < 6,000 (KL), > 20,000 (TN).
- Area occupied (km^2)	>5,000 (KA), < 200 (KL), > 5,000 (TN).
- No. of locations	Fragmented (KA), Many (KL), > 2,000 (TN).
Population Trends
- % decline	> 20 (KA), > 20 (KL), No decline (TN).
- Time/Rate (years or generations)	10 years
- No. of mature individuals	Many (KA, KL & TN).
Global population	Not assessed
Regional population	Declining in Karnataka and Kerala
Data quality	General field studies, informal sighting and indirect observation.
Recent field studies	K.Ravikumar, P.S.Udayan and S.P.Subramani (1997-98), Savanadurga MPCA; Dasappa (1997), Sirsi and Bisilakoppa; B.S.Somashekhar (1997-98), Kumta, Siddarabetta, Nijagel, Nanjangud, Devarayana durga, Sandur, Karpakapalli, BRT Hills MPCAs; P.S.Udayan (1996), Asoga, Sonnatti, Mysore and Kolar; S.P.Subramani (1997-98), Rangapanahalli, Kudre kanivu and Neerthadi (KA). Throughout Kerala and Tamil Nadu from plains to higher altitudes.
Threats	Harvest for medicine (Hm), Loss of habitat (L), Trade of part (Tp), Trade (T), Over exploitation (Ov).
Trade	Local, commercial.
Other comments	More common in drier places. It is state flower of Tamil Nadu. Tubers and seeds are exported at higher prices. Golchicin and Superlin alkaloids are extracted to cure rheumatic arthritis.
Status
-IUCN:	VU (KA, KL), LRlc (TN)
- Criteria based on	Population reduction (A1a.d)
- CITES	No
- IWPA (1972; 91)	No
- National legialation	Not in negative list of exports (Notification 2 (RE-98) dt 13.4.98, 1997–2002)
Recommendations
- Research management	Monitoring (M), Limiting factor research (Lr), Husbandry research (H).
- P.H.V.A.	No
Cultivation prog. recommendations
- Cultivation	Level 3 (research)
- Level of difficulty	Level 1 (Least difficult)
Existing cultivation	Yes
- Names of facilities	Wyath laboratories are cultivating near Devanahalli. This species is largely being cultivated in Erode, Coimbatore, Madurai, Dindugal, and Salem districts in Tamil Nadu for commercial purposes.
Previous assessment	LRnt (Regionally), DD (Globally) in Camp II (Feb 96) compiled by S.S.R.Bennet, V.Chelladurai, R.J.R.Daniels, C.G.Kushalappa, Michael Maunder, A.G.Pandurangan, Purshottam Singh, V.S.Ramachandran, S.R.Ramesh, K.Ravikumar, Sally Walker, Sanjay Molur, N.Sasidharan, B.V.Shetty, M.Sivadasan, D.K.Ved, Vinay Tandon, M.B.Viswanathan.
Sources	K.Ravikumar, P.S.Udayan and S.P.Subramani, Dasappa, B.S.Somashekhar (persn. observn.).
Compilers	M.Abdul Kareem, M.Ahmedullah, T.Ananda Rao, N.Anil Kumar, Anjali Wadehra, Anjana Mudappa, S.Aroumougame, S.S.R.Bennet, Dasappa, J.L.Ellis, K.R.Geetha, R.Gopalan, B. Gurudev Singh, V.P.Hiremath, V.Irudayaraj, Jagat Ram, C.R.Jawahar, P.John Jebaraj, C.G.Kushalappa, Mohan Karnat, N.Mohanan, K.N.Murthy, D.Narasimhan, M.P.Nayar, S.Noorunnisa Begum, A.G.Pandurangan V.Prabhakaran, V.S.Ramachandran, S.R.Ramesh, K.Ravikumar, Sanjay Molur, N.Sasidharan, A.E.Shanawaz Khan, C.Seema Y.N.Seetharam, B.V.Shetty, B.S.Somashekhar, T.S.Srinivasa Murthy, D.Stephen, Subhash Mali, S.P.Subramani, T.S.Suma ,Sumy Oommen, D.Suresh Baburaj, M.H.Swaminath, P.S.Udayan, D.K.Ved, Vinay Tandon, M.B.Viswanathan.