Gloriosa superba L. : An Endangered Medicinal Plant

Medicinal plants constitute an important natural wealth of the country. These are important sources of therapeutic agents and constitute raw materials for the manufacture of traditional and modern medicines. Inspite of their huge bio-diversity, many of the potential herbs are yet not known to the scientific world. Gloriosa superba L. has now been listed as endangered species due to its overexploitation or over-collection. It has large pharmacological value due to presence of an important alkaloid, colchicine and also other biologically active compounds. So, the key challenges now lie in developing new conservation strategies so as to increase its germplasm base. Both in situ and ex situ conservation methods can be chosen depending on its distribution and as well as the availability of resources in the areas of its occurrence.