Boveya : unusual, exotic plant
Exotic plants, like bovieya, attract many gardeners. This unique plant can be hard to grow at home. Even after studying its needs, success isn't certain. Knowing its traits and needs is key to growing it.
Bowiea, also called bovieya, boveya, or bovia, belongs to the asparagus family. It's a perennial plant that loses its leaves. Bowiea is poisonous, containing cardiac glycosides. These chemicals can affect the heart.
Boviea grows from Kenya to South Africa's Cape Province. It's also found in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
This plant likes to grow under trees and bushes. It also grows along streams, lakes, and rivers. These spots give it the right shade and water.
Boviea is a bulbous plant with a green stem. The stem climbs or twines. Gardeners can shape the plant using its peduncle. The plant grows to about 300-400 centimeters tall. Its leaves are tiny scales that drop off before it blooms.
The leaves look like thin lines. The flowers are small, about 1.6-2.4 centimeters wide. The root is a bulb made of white, fleshy scales. The bulb is partly above ground, sometimes fully. It can be 15-20 centimeters across.
