Ruhmeskrone

A plant of the lowland tropics and subtropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 600 metres, the plant has a clear preference for seasonal, monsoon climates with a pronounced dry season[310 ]. The plant is not resistant to frost[352 ]. Succeeds in full sun to partial shade[352 ]. Prefers a moist but well-drained, humus-rich soil[352 ]. Prefers an acid to neutral soil[299 ]. The plant has often escaped from cultivation and has been classified as 'Invasive' in some areas[305 ]. Plants propagated from seeds take 3 - 4years to bloom[299 ]. Plants can flower and produce seeds all year round, though mainly during the rainy season[310 ]. In Tamil Nadu, India, small-scale plantings, raised from tubers, yield on average 250 - 300 kilos of seed per hectare from the second year onwards[310 ]. In South Africa the seed production of 'wild-type' plants is positively correlated with height of the plant, and is on average 258 seeds per plant for plants 60 - 65cm tall compared with about 30 seeds per plant for plants 30 - 40cm tall[310 ]. Flowering Time: Late Spring/Early Summer Mid Summer Late Summer/Early Fall. (early summer, mid summer, late summer, early fall, mid fall, late fall). Bloom Color: Red-Orange Bright Yellow. (red, orange, yellow, pink). Spacing: 36-48 in. (90-120 cm).

None known

Parasiticide Other Uses: Colchicine, obtained from all parts of the plant but particularly the seeds, inhibits cell division and is used in plant breeding to produce polyploidy[310 ]. Extracts of the shoots and of the tubers of the plant show strong nematicidal activity, which can be largely attributed to colchicine[310 ].

Heimisch: Andaman Is., Angola, Assam, Bangladesh, Benin, Borneo, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cabinda, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Caprivi Strip, Central African Republic, Chad, China South-Central, Congo, DR Congo, East Himalaya, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., India, Ivory Coast, Jawa, Kenya, Laccadive Is., Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaya, Maldives, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Pakistan, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan-South Sudan, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Zambia, Zimbabwe Eingeführt: Alabama, Cook Is., Fiji, Gilbert Is., Line Is., Nauru, New South Wales, Norfolk Is., Queensland, Réunion, Santa Cruz Is., Society Is., Solomon Is., Suriname, Tokelau-Manihiki, Trinidad-Tobago, Vanuatu, Windward Is.