Asparagus aethiopicus

Higher Taxonomy

Family: Asparagaceae

Common Name: ASPARAGUS FAMILY
Habit: Perennial herb [to shrub] or vine; rhizome short, generally with fleshy tubers. Stem: branchlets leaf-like, many, thread-like or flat, functioning as leaves. Leaf: scale-like, papery, with a spiny spur at base or not. Inflorescence: raceme, umbel, or flowers 1. Flower: bisexual or not, +- white to green-yellow; perianth segments 6, in 2 petal-like whorls, free or +- fused; stamens 6, epipetalous, anther attached near middle; ovary superior, chambers 3. Fruit: berry, spheric, often red or blue. Seed: 1--6, black.
Genera In Family: 3+ genera depending on interpretation, 320 species: especially northern temperate.
eFlora Treatment Author: Dale W. McNeal
Scientific Editor: Thomas J. Rosatti.

Genus: Asparagus

View Description

Dichotomous Key

Habit: Perennial herb. Inflorescence: pedicels slender, jointed near middle. Flower: stamens +- >= perianth, exserted; style 1, short, slender, stigmas 3.
Etymology: (Greek: ancient name) Note: Asparagus densiflorus (Kunth) Jessop misappl. to A. aethiopicus L., a waif.

Asparagus aethiopicus L.

WAIF
Habit: Sprawling; roots fibrous, tuberous. Stem: <= 2 m, wiry, branchlets < 1 mm wide. Leaf: membranous, not or +- spurred. Inflorescence: axillary racemes; flowers 5--9(15). Flower: bisexual; perianth 3--4 mm, rotate to bell-shaped. Fruit: 5--8 mm, red. Chromosomes: n=10,20.
Ecology: Disturbed places, abandoned gardens; Elevation: < 100 m. Bioregional Distribution: SCo; Distribution Outside California: Florida; native to southern Africa. Flowering Time: Aug--Oct Note: Escaped plants generally cv. 'Sprengeri'.
Synonyms: Asparagus densiflorus (Kunth) Jessop, misappl.
Jepson eFlora Author: Dale W. McNeal
Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)

Previous taxon: Asparagus
Next taxon: Asparagus asparagoides

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Citation for this treatment: Dale W. McNeal 2012, Asparagus aethiopicus, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=88887, accessed on April 19, 2024.

Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on April 19, 2024.

No expert verified images found for Asparagus aethiopicus.

Geographic subdivisions for Asparagus aethiopicus: SCo	MAP CONTROLS 1. You can change the display of the base map layer control box in the upper right-hand corner. 2. County and Jepson Region polygons can be turned off and on using the check boxes.

(Note: any qualifiers in the taxon distribution description, such as 'northern', 'southern', 'adjacent' etc., are not reflected in the map above, and in some cases indication of a taxon in a subdivision is based on a single collection or author-verified occurence).	Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria. MAP LEGEND View all CCH records All markers link to CCH specimen records. The original determination is shown in the popup window. Blue markers indicate specimens that map to one of the expected Jepson geographic subdivisions (see left map). Purple markers indicate specimens collected from a garden, greenhouse, or other non-wild location. Yellow markers indicate records that may provide evidence for eFlora range revision or may have georeferencing or identification issues. READ ABOUT YELLOW FLAGS CCH collections by month Duplicates counted once; synonyms included. Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa, if there are more than 1 infraspecific taxon in CA. Blue line denotes eFlora flowering time (fruiting time in some monocot genera).