File:  <asparagusfern >                                                                        Pooled References                                GENERAL INDEX                        [Navigate to   MAIN MENU ]

 

 

Asparagus or Foxtail Fern

 

Asparagus aethiopicus -- Asparagales:  Asparagaceae

 

Contact

 

 

                                                                                                                                               

           ------ CLICK on photo to enlarge.  To search for Subject Matter, Depress Ctrl/F

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

       Asparagus aethiopicus, Sprenger's asparagus, is a plant native to the Cape Provinces and the Northern Provinces of South Africa.  Often used as an ornamental plant, it is considered an invasive weed in many locations.  Asparagus fern, asparagus grass and foxtail fern are common names; but, it is not related to true ferns.  A. aethiopicus has been confused with A. densiflorus, now regarded as a separate species, so that information about A. aethiopicus will often be found under the name A. densiflorus.  The species was originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1767.  The attribution "Sprenger's Asparagus," refers to Carl Ludwig Sprenger who promoted it as an ornamental plant in Europe.

      

       Asparagus aethiopicus is a perennial herb with green aerial stems tjat are lightlycovered with spines.  The leaves are actually leaf-like cladodes, 0.8–2 cm long and 0.1-0.2 cm wide.  They extend in groups of four or more from the stem.  In spring, there are small white or pink flowers that occur in clusters off the stem.  Small round berries 0.5 cm in diameter with a black 3 mm diameter seed are initially green, but then turn red in winter.  There is a mat of fibrous roots with bulbous water storage tubers that extend from a hard crown at the base of the leaves.  This crown including pieces remaining in the ground may resprout.

 

       Asparagus aethiopicus is native to southern regions of South Africa in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and the Northern Provinces.  Its natural habitat is rocky shale slopes and coastal scrub, in dry land areas.

 

       In the United States, this plant is a weed in California, Florida and Hawaii, but it is spreading.  It is also considered a weed in New Zealand, and has become established around major urban areas in Australia including Sydney, Wollongong, the Central Coast, Southeastern Queensland, and Adelaide, as well as the Lord Howe and Norfolk islands.  Seeds are spread by fruit-eating birds and during the disposal of garden refuse.  It can be eradicated using herbicides. but manual removal is difficult because of tiny thorns and deep roots.  However, the non-water storage tubers can be left in the ground as they do not sprout.

 

       There are no biological controls for the asparagus fern, but treatment with Glyphosate at 1% solution with 0.25% surfactant has shown good control, especially if applied more than once.

 

REFERENCES:

 

Gibbs Russell, G. E., W. G. M. Welman, E. Retief, K. L. Immelman, G. Germishuizen, B. J. Pienaar, M. Van Wyk  &  A. Nicholas.  1987.  List of species of southern African plants. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa 2(1–2): 1–152 (pt. 1), 1–270.

 

Goldblatt, P.  &  J. Manning.  2002.  Cape plants: a conspectus of the Cape flora of South Africa.  Strelitzia 9. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria and Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis.

 

Jackson, W.P.U.  1990.  Origins and meanings of names of South African plant genera.  University of Cape Town, South Africa.

 

Manning, J.  2007.  Field guide to Fynbos.  Struik Publishers, Cape Town, South Africa

 

Romand-Monnier, F.  &  L. von Staden.  2013.  Asparagus aethiopicus.  The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013

 

Van Wyk, B.E. & N. Gericke.  2000.  People's plants.  Briza Publications, Pretoria. South Africa.

 

Von Staden, L. 2012. Asparagus aethiopicus L. National Assessment:  Red List of South African Plants version 2017.1.

 

Wolff, Mark A.  1999.  Winning the war of Weeds: The Essential Gardener's Guide to Weed Identification and Control.  Kenthurst, New South Wales: Kangaroo Press. p. 43.