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The Climbing onion (Bowiea volubilis) belongs to Liliacese (the Lily family). It is a perennial herb that is distributed from eastern to southern Africa. This species is a monotypic genus. It grows in arid and desert areas, and can reach a height of around 4.5 m. It forms fleshy, pale green, spherical bulbs that grow to a height of around 20 cm above the ground. From the top of the bulb, new green stems branch out and grow upwards. The stems have thick, lanceolate to linear leaves, which are short-lived and only form on young, immature plants. These stems are vines that carry out photosynthesis. In spring, they produce small greenish-white flowers. The fruit is an upright capsule with three chambers. This species is extremely poisonous because it contains a large amount of cardiac glycoside. In Japan, it is called "蒼角殿" in horticultural contexts.
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