Question

What is the state flower of Tamil Nadu?
A) Lotus
B) Tangedu
C) Gloriosa lily
D) Cannonball

Answer 1

Hint: The flower belongs to the family, Colchicaceae. A chemical, Colchicine is extracted from this plant for its therapeutic properties.

Complete answer:
The state flower of Tamil Nadu is the Gloriosa lily or the glory lily or the flame lily. Its scientific name is Gloriosa superba. It is widely cultivated in seven different districts in Tamil Nadu. They are Tiruchi, Karur, Ariyalur, Dindigul, Namakkal, Edore, and Coimbatore.

The plant is an angiosperm and reproduces sexually and produces seeds. The seeds can even remain dormant for 6-9 months until it gets the desired environmental conditions for germinating. Other than seeds, the plant can also grow from tubers. The Gloriosa lily is a very sensitive flower and with even minute changes in the temperature, the plant dies.

All parts of this plant contain a chemical called Colchicine. Though its roots and seeds have higher concentrations of this chemical. In small amounts it is a therapeutic drug which is used for the treatment of joint pains and rheumatism. But in higher quantities it is lethal. The Gloriosa superba has also been infamous for its use as a means of committing suicide.

Since, the plant is very fragile and moreover, being uprooted excessively for medicines, its density across the state is decreasing rapidly.

Thus, the correct answer is option (C) i.e, Gloriosa lily.

Note:
i) The government of India encourages the farmers to cultivate this plant and also provides them with subsidies.
ii) There are more than 350 farmers that cultivate Gloriosa lily in Trichy alone.
iii) The plant is not only found in Tamil Nadu, but all over in the Western Ghats.