Boophone disticha (L.f.) Herb is one of the most widely distributed bulbous species in southern Africa. Of Africa's many bulbous plants, it is widely known for its poisonous and medicinal properties. It is of considerable ethnobotanical interest in traditional medicine because of its hallucinogenic alkaloids and it has great potential as an ornamental due to its fan-shaped foliage and large umbel of bright pink to deep red flowers. In South Africa, many bulbous plants are used in traditional medicine which are collected from wild populations. The high demand for trade and use of such plants, that are destructively harvested, places an enormous pressure on natural populations. According to the Red List of South African Plants, the conservation status of B. disticha has been listed as 'declining'. It is, therefore, important to develop conservation strategies for these medicinal plants, such as the development of alternative propagation methods. Micropropagation is a useful technique for rapid clonal multiplication of plant material which could alleviate the pressure on the wild plant populations, as well as potentially producing useful secondary metabolites. The in vitro induction of storage organs is especially beneficial as it can limit the loss of plants during acclimatization since bulblets are generally hardier than shoots or plantlets. Thus, the main aim of this research was to establish a micropropagation protocol which could be a valuable tool for conservation of this plant species. In addition, B. disticha plants were assessed in various ethnopharmacological assays to evaluate their medicinal properties, and a preliminary study on the population genetics was also conducted. As part of the development of a suitable micropropagation protocol, the effect of environmentalrnand physiological factors on the initiation and growth of bulblets were investigated. These factors included the effect of various plant growth regulators, carbohydrates, temperature, photoperiod and liquid culture. Different explants (i.e. ovaries, anthers, filaments, pedicels, embryos, seeds and bulb twin-scales) were tested to determine which explants were the most suitable for subsequent experiments. Although success was limited, twin-scales proved to be the most suitable explant and it was demonstrated that activated charcoal, ascorbic acid and N6 - benzyladenine were required as media supplements.