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Asparagus africanus
Also called Asparagus Fern, Climbing Asparagus, Bush Asparagus
A spiny shrub or scrambling climber from Africa and southern Asia, often grown as an ornamental asparagus fern. Give it bright light and moderate water, and keep the spiny stems away from pets and children.
Asparagus africanus, also known as African asparagus, bush asparagus, wild asparagus, climbing asparagus fern, ornamental asparagus and sparrow grass, is an African species of plant that is found in a variety of habitats. It has multiple medicinal properties and is used to treat various ailments.
Asparagus africanus is a widely distributed species. It is found across most of Africa, as well as the Arabian Peninsula and India. It grows in a variety of habitats, ranging from rainforests to grasslands to semi-deserts. The plant can grow rapidly. In its climbing state it can quickly come to dominate the canopy, outcompeting other species. It has also become naturalised in parts of Australia after being introduced as an ornamental plant.
The new shoots are harvested and eaten as a vegetable. They are seen as being a good source of fiber and various vitamins. The roots are also boiled and eaten. The fruit are mainly only eaten during times of famine.
Asparagus Fern · Asparagus albus · African asparagus fern · Burchells Asparagus · Cape Asparagus · Chinese Asparagus · Sprenger's asparagus fern · Asparagus · Asparagus krebsianus · Fire Asparagus · Grey Asparagus · Asparagus multiflorus
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Asparagus africanus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
