Flora of New Zealand Series

Asparagus Fern

Slender, scrambling or climbing perennial. Stems to 2 m long, ± woody below, green and much-branched above; branches widely spreading with branchlets and cladodes all lying in one plane. Scale-leaves scarious, entire, basal spur to 2.5 mm long, grey-brown, finely pointed, reflexed. Cladodes needle-like, extremely fine, 3-7 mm long, 7-20 at each node. Flowers terminal, 1-4, white. Berry globose, ± 6 mm diam., purple-black. Seeds 1-3, ± 3 mm diam., globose, black.

N. Auckland City, escapes from gardens to a limited extent; Bethlehem, near Tauranga, well established in farm hedges.

First record: ‡

First collection: "Jellicoe St, Mt Roskill, Auckland; in shelter belt on street margin", A. E. Esler 4696, 16.8.1974 ().

Widely grown in horticulture under the name A. plumosus Baker, which Jessop (op. cit.) showed to be a later synonym of A. setaceus.