Each spring we open the cabinet under the sink to find the first pale green shoots emerging from our Sea Onion. Faith got it as a present, if I remember correctly, and we go through this cycle of storing it in the dark after its stems shrivel up each fall and bringing it out in spring for another display of strange growth. It is mostly stem, an endless extrusion that will eventually fill the window frame. Nature's own doodle.

Some of the companies I've worked for have been like plants. The Sea Onion companies dedicate all of their effort on infrastructure and lose sight of the overreaching goal: end product. The opposite are those with such a stunning array of blossoms and fruit that the plant is ultimately crushed under its own weight. Engineering vs. Marketing driven.

The Sea Onion is an idealistic open source project where the UI guys never showed up.

A few years ago I bought a book on houseplants and looked up our strange house guest.

Bowiea Volubilis

So many of the plants in this book can be classed as both popular and attractive. The Sea Onion or Climbing Onion is neither -- it is both rare and repulsive. It is grown only as a novelty, so that visitors can express their surprise. Easier to find in the US than Britain -- look for it in the catalogues of specialist nurseries.

One variety only -- Bowiea volubilis. The large above ground bulb produces straggly stems in winter. A few short-lived leaves and small greenish flowers appear before the stems die down in late spring.

The House Plant Expert
Dr. D. G. Hessayon
(1st pub. Great Britain 1960)

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