PLATE 303. 



BOWIEA VOLOBILIS, Harv. (PI. Cap. Vol. 6, p. 367). 

 Natural Order, LIMAOEAE. 



A climbing almost leafless plant. Bulb globose, tuber-like, often lying above 

 the surface of the ground, 4 to 6 inches diameter, with a few thick distichous 

 tunics. Leaves 1 to 3, radical, small, flat, grass-like, erect, very soon withering, 

 and often not to be found. Stem sarmentose, often 6 feet or more long, much 

 branched, especially in lower portion, the branches bearing numerous ascending 

 more or less curved branchlets, the stem, branches, and branchlets green, terete, 

 quite glabrous, and bearing 1 a minute subulate bract at each division. Flowers 

 solitary, light green, pedicellate, pedicels terete, arcuate, some of the flowers 

 imperfect. Perianth 6-parted to base, the segments lanceolate, strongly reflexed 

 2 to 3 lines long, 1 line wide at base, withering, persistent. Stamens 6, on base of 

 and opposite lobes of perianth, and about two-thirds of their length ; filaments 

 sublulate ; anthers linear, erect, opening inwards. Ovary, sessile, ovoid, 3-celled 

 cells many ovuled, ovules superposed; style equalling filaments in length, very 

 obscurely 3-lobed. Capsule ovoid, glabrous, brownish when ripe, dehiscing 

 oculicidally ; seeds compressed, black, shining. 



Habitat; NATAL: Midlands, usually in slight shade ; without precise locality; 

 McKen, No. 32 ; Cooper, No. 3263. 



Drawn and described from specimens in Botanic Gardens, flowering in 

 September, 1902. 



A singular plant, the only one of its genus ; it is confined to South Africa, and 

 is not uncommon in cultivation. The juice of the bulb has irritant properties, 

 but is not vesicant ; the natives use it for rubbing on the skin in cases of sickness, 

 and they also take a portion of the bulb, boil it, and then strain off the water, and 

 use as a lotion for sore eyes ; and in the early days when an " impi " or " com- 

 mando" was going out to war, the native doctors used to sprinkle the warriors with 

 a decoction of the bulb, which was said to have the effect of making their enemies 

 flee before them. The native name is " Gibisila." In the imperfect flowers the 

 perianth is lighter in colour, its segments erect or patent, not reflexed, the anthers 

 contain but little pollen, the ovary is rudimentary and contains a few imperfect 

 ovules. 



Fig. 1, plant reduced ; 2, bud ; 3, flower ; 4, lobe of perianth ; 5, stamen ; 

 6, ovary ; 7, cross-section of ovary ; except Fig. 1, all enlarged. 



