| Scientific Name | Bowiea volubilis Harv. ex Hook.f. subsp. volubilis | Higher Classification | Monocotyledons | Family | HYACINTHACEAE | Synonyms | Bowiea kilimandscharica Mildbr. | Common Names | Climbing Green Lily (e), Climbing Onion (e), Gibisila (z), Gifisila (z), Iguleni (z), Knolklimop (a), Ugibisila (z), Ugibisisila (z), Umagaqana (x), Umagaquana (x), Umgaqana (x), Zulu Potato (e) |
National Status | Status and Criteria | Vulnerable A2ad | Assessment Date | 2022/07/21 | Assessor(s) | D. Raimondo, J.E. Victor, C.R. Scott-Shaw, M. Lötter, A.P. Dold, M.F. Pfab & J.E. Burrows | Justification | This taxon is under severe pressure from medicinal plant harvesting over the majority of its range in South Africa. Provincial authorities estimate a minimum decline of 30% nationally. This decline has taken place over the past 30 years. The estimated decline is based on observed declines at known sites and subpopulations as well as from changes in the sizes of individual bulbs available in the muthi markets. Generation length is estimated to be 10 years. |
Distribution | Endemism | Not endemic to South Africa | Provincial distribution | Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga | Range | This species is widespread in southern and eastern Africa and occurs in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola, Uganda and Tanzania. In South Africa, this species' range stretches from the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Limpopo. |
Habitat and Ecology | Major system | Terrestrial | Major habitats | Drakensberg Foothill Moist Grassland, Fish Valley Thicket, Sundays Valley Thicket, Pondoland-Ugu Sandstone Coastal Sourveld, Southern Afrotemperate Forest, Northern Afrotemperate Forest, Southern Mistbelt Forest, Northern Mistbelt Forest, Scarp Forest, Amathole Montane Grassland, Carletonville Dolomite Grassland, Zastron Moist Grassland, Egoli Granite Grassland, Baviaans Valley Thicket, Tsakane Clay Grassland, Eastern Valley Bushveld, East Griqualand Grassland, Queenstown Thornveld, KwaZulu-Natal Highland Thornveld, Midlands Mistbelt Grassland, Gauteng Shale Mountain Bushveld, Andesite Mountain Bushveld, Loskop Mountain Bushveld, Soutpansberg Mountain Bushveld, Mamabolo Mountain Bushveld, Marikana Thornveld, Gold Reef Mountain Bushveld, Malelane Mountain Bushveld, Soutpansberg Summit Sourveld | Description | It grows in low and medium altitudes, usually along mountain ranges and in thickly vegetated river valleys, often under bush clumps and in boulder screes. It is sometimes found scrambling at the margins of karroid, succulent bush in the Eastern Cape. It occurs in bushy kloofs at the coast and inland in KwaZulu-Natal. In Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West Province it is often found in open woodland or on steep rocky hills usually in well-shaded situations. It tolerates wet and dry conditions, growing predominantly in summer rainfall areas with an annual rainfall of 200-800 mm. |
Threats | Harvesting for traditional medicine is a severe threat - this species is in great demand. It is a sought after medicinal plant that has been critically over-exploited over most of its distribution range (Scott- Shaw 1999). Herb traders and rural herbalists consistently rate this species as one of the top six medicinal taxa that have become scarce as a result of over-utilisation (Bircher et al. 1998). |
Population | There has been a population decline of at least 90% in KwaZulu-Natal with at least 30% of this decline taking place in the past 30 years (Rob Scott- Shaw pers. comm. via email, December 2006).
In Mpumalanga, a minimum of a 30% decline is estimated to have occurred over the past 45 years (J. Burrows and M. Lötter pers. comm. 2006). A 40% decline has been recorded at one monitored subpopulation in a private nature reserve in the past 10 years (a very rapid decline), and another known sub-population at Oshoek has been completely depleted. This taxon is severely fragmented and declining in Mpumalanga. It is only known from two remaining subpopulations in this province and it is feared that it will rapidly decline to local extinction there. Provincial authorities confiscated 1300 illegally harvested bulbs in 2000. (M. Lötter and J. Burrows, pers. comm. 2006)
In the Eastern Cape, wild harvested material is always on the market in King William's Town and always in the stores but not in large quantities - possibly because it has become very scarce. Removal of entire known subpopulations from the wild has been observed on occasion, and is probably not an uncommon practice in areas where poverty is great and opportunities for earning an income is limited. It has not been seen in years from places such as at Dassie Krantz, where it was known to occur in the past. Ninety percent of specimens in the Grahamstown herbarium are from before 1966. (A.P. Dold pers. comm. via email, December 2006).
No data is available for Limpopo, but only a few locations have been recorded from this province (three of the 41 locations shown in Bircher et al. 1998). In Gauteng, the status of this taxon is not considered critical (M. Pfab pers. comm. 2007). The existence of several large populations have been confirmed in the province - perhaps because security is so tight in this province on private land. However, observations within Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve indicate that Bowiea is heavily impacted by harvesting on this reserve, which is accessible to the public. A minimum decline of 60% is estimated but it is possibly as high as 80% at this site over the past 10 years (according to email correspondence from Neville Green, Officer in Charge, Suikerbosrand, April 2007).
| Population trend | Decreasing |
Conservation | It is conserved in Ngele and Suikerbosrand Nature Reserves. |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | Bowiea volubilis Harv. ex Hook.f. subsp. volubilis | VU A2ad | Raimondo et al. (2009) | Bowiea volubilis Harv. ex Hook.f. subsp. volubilis | Near Threatened | Pfab and Victor (2002) | Bowiea volubilis Harv. ex Hook.f. | VU | Scott-Shaw (1999) | Bowiea volubilis Harv. ex Hook.f. | Vulnerable | Hilton-Taylor (1996) | |
Bibliography | Bircher, C., Prentice, C., Crouch, N. and Symmonds, R. 1998. Conservation concerns for Bowiea volubilis, an unusually succulent member of the Hyacinthaceae. Herbertia 53:81-89.
Cocks, M. and Dold, A.P. 2000. The Medicinal Plant Trade in the Eastern Cape Province. Unpublished report on behalf of the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa, Pretoria.
Hilton-Taylor, C. 1996. Red data list of southern African plants. Strelitzia 4. South African National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
Pfab, M.F. and Victor, J.E. 2002. Threatened plants of Gauteng, South Africa. South African Journal of Botany 68:370-375.
Raimondo, D., von Staden, L., Foden, W., Victor, J.E., Helme, N.A., Turner, R.C., Kamundi, D.A. and Manyama, P.A. 2009. Red List of South African Plants. Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Scott-Shaw, C.R. 1999. Rare and threatened plants of KwaZulu-Natal and neighbouring regions. KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service, Pietermaritzburg.
Van Jaarsveld, E. 1992. Bowiea gariepensis and Bowiea volubilis. British Cactus and Succulent Journal 10(4):96-98.
Victor, J.E. and Dold, A.P. 2003. Threatened plants of the Albany Centre of Floristic Endemism, South Africa. South African Journal of Science 99:437-446.
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Citation | Raimondo, D., Victor, J.E., Scott-Shaw, C.R., Lötter, M., Dold, A.P., Pfab, M.F. & Burrows, J.E. 2022. Bowiea volubilis Harv. ex Hook.f. subsp. volubilis. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/02/11 |
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