PLATE 303. 
BowiEA voLUBiLis, Harv. (Fl. Cap. Vol. 6, p. 367). 
Natural Order, Liliaoeae. 
A climbing almost leafless plant. Bulb globose, tuber-like, often lying above 
the surface of the ground, 4 to 6 incln^s diameter, with a few thick distichous 
tunics. Leaves 1 to 8, radical, small, flat, grass-like, erect, very soon withering, 
and often not to bo 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 bearinsr a minute subulate bract ac each division. Flowers 
solitary, light green, pedicellate, pedicels terete, arcuate, some of the flowers 
imperfect. Perianth ()-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 o-lobed. Capsule ovoid, glabrous, brownish when ripe, dehiscing 
oculicidally ; seeds compressed, black, shining. 
Habitat : Natal : Midlands, usually in slight shade ; withont 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 liulb 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 por'tion 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 " iinpi " 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. 
