Bowiea volubilis the climbing onion (knolklimop, iguleni, umgaqana), a South African indigenous succulent bulb with a genuinely strange growing habit: instead of leaves, it sends out a much-branched, bright green climbing stem that does the photosynthesising, scrambling up to 34 m over rocks or surrounding vegetation. Small greenish-white flowers appear along the stem in late summer.
R100.00 per 5 bulbs approx. 100 available. These are home-grown from seed, 3 year old, so still small not yet at flowering or full climbing size. Mature bulbs eventually reach up to 150 mm across.
Plant in semi-shade with the bulb sitting mostly above the soil line, in a compost-rich, well-drained mix. Tolerant of both dry spells and wet conditions once established. Makes an excellent, low-fuss container specimen, or planted at the base of a tree/frame for the stem to twine up.
Please note two important things: this bulb is poisonous it has caused human and animal deaths from cardiac failure when ingested, so keep well away from children and pets, and handle with care. It's also listed as Vulnerable on the South African Red List, mainly due to over-harvesting for the muthi trade in the wild these bulbs are nursery-grown from seed here at Freddies Flowers, not wild-collected, so buying propagated stock like this helps take the pressure off wild populations.
Details: - Price: R100.00 per 5 bulbs, approx. 100 available - Age/size: 3 year old, grown from seed still small - Life cycle: Deciduous, summer-growing - Sun: Semi-shade to shade - Flowering: Late summer (once mature) - Origin: Indigenous to eastern South Africa; nursery-propagated stock - Toxicity: Poisonous has caused human and animal deaths. Keep away from children and pets - Conservation: Red List Vulnerable in the wild this is nursery-grown, not wild-collected
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Photo shown is a reference image, not this specific stock. Image credit: SANBI PlantZAfrica, Suvarna Parbhoo / CREW Programme (pza.sanbi.org).
