Bowiea

Climbing-onion
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Asparagaceae
Subfamily:	Scilloideae
Genus:	Bowiea; Harv. ex Hook.f.
Species:	B. volubilis
Binomial name
	Bowiea volubilis; Harv. ex Hook.f.
Synonyms
	Ophiobostryx Skeels; Schizobasopsis J.F.Macbr.; Ophiobostryx volubilis (Harv. ex Hook.f.) Skeels; Schizobasopsis volubilis (Harv. ex Hook.f.) J.F.Macbr.; Bowiea gariepensis van Jaarsv.; Bowiea kilimandscharica Mildbr.;

Bowiea, commonly known as climbing-onion, is a genus of bulbous, perennial, succulent plants which thrive in dry and desert regions of eastern and southern Africa, ranging from Uganda to South Africa.^[2] It is native to a region stretching from Kenya to Cape Province.^[1] It is the 14th most commonly sold medicinal plant in South Africa, used to treat various health conditions. Due to massive harvesting, populations of this plant have been significantly reduced.^[3] Because of its high content of potent cardiac glycosides, it is highly poisonous, and deaths of humans and other animals after ingestion are attributed to cardiac arrest.^[4] Due to its unique appearance, it is cultivated as a houseplant.^[5]

The genus contains a single species, Bowiea volubilis, named after the nineteenth-century British plant collector at Kew, James Bowie.^[6]^[7] The specific epithet means twisting or winding in Latin.^[8]

^ ^a ^b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
^ "Plants of the World Online". Plants of the World Online. 2019. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
^ Van Jaarsveld, E. (2012). "Bowiea". Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Monocotyledons. Springer. pp. 276–278. ISBN 978-3-642-56715-5.
^ Parbhoo, Suvarna. "PlantZAfrica: Bowiea volubilis". South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
^ Zachos, Ellen (2014). Growing healthy houseplants: choose the right plant, water wisely, and control pests. Storey basics. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing. pp. 86–87. ISBN 978-1-61212-440-7.
^ Govaerts, R. (1996). World Checklist of Seed Plants 2(1, 2): 1-492. Continental Publishing, Deurne.
^ Stedje, B. (1996). Hyacinthaceae. Flora of Tropical East Africa: 1-32.
^ Gledhill, David (2008). The names of plants (4 ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-511-47376-0.

[ugubuugu-1] Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families

[:0-2] "Plants of the World Online". Plants of the World Online. 2019. Retrieved 2024-04-26.

[:1-3] Van Jaarsveld, E. (2012). "Bowiea". Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Monocotyledons. Springer. pp. 276–278. ISBN 978-3-642-56715-5.

[:2-4] Parbhoo, Suvarna. "PlantZAfrica: Bowiea volubilis". South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 2024-04-26.

[:3-5] Zachos, Ellen (2014). Growing healthy houseplants: choose the right plant, water wisely, and control pests. Storey basics. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing. pp. 86–87. ISBN 978-1-61212-440-7.

[6] Govaerts, R. (1996). World Checklist of Seed Plants 2(1, 2): 1-492. Continental Publishing, Deurne.

[7] Stedje, B. (1996). Hyacinthaceae. Flora of Tropical East Africa: 1-32.

[8] Gledhill, David (2008). The names of plants (4 ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-511-47376-0.

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Bowiea

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