Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Asparagales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Asparagus aethiopicus
FAMILY
Asparagaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Sprenger’s Asparagus-fern from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Asparagus aethiopicus
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Asparagus aethiopicus
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Asparagus aethiopicus
(?) (MISAPPLIED) Flora of the Bahama Archipelago (Correll & Correll, 1982)
Asparagus densiflorus
COMMON NAME:
Sprenger’s Asparagus-fern, Emerald-fern
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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Keith Bradley kab_a_aethiopicus_74031
May Miami-Dade County FL
From a distance, asparagus fern looks very soft or fluffy, per Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.
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Keith Bradley kab_a_aethiopicus_74032
May Miami-Dade County FL
Refrain from purchasing, propagating, or planting asparagus fern, per Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.
)
Keith Bradley kab_a_aethiopicus_74050
May Miami-Dade County FL
Needle-like branchlets are clustered in nodes, per Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.
)
Keith Bradley kab_a_aethiopicus_74052
May Miami-Dade County FL
"Cladophyll" = a stem with the form and function of a leaf, per Plant Identification Terminology (Harris & Harris, 1994).
)
Keith Bradley kab_a_aethiopicus_74052b
May Miami-Dade County FL
Cladophylls solitary or in fascicles of 3+, linear, flattened, 8-22 x 2mm, per Flora of North America.
)
Keith Bradley kab_a_aethiopicus_74052c
May Miami-Dade County FL
Flowers are white or pale pink, very fragrant, small and hardly noticeable, per Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.
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Alan S. Weakley asw_10231861437614917
July Georgetown County? SC
)
Alan S. Weakley asw_10231861437614917b
July Georgetown County? SC
)
Alan S. Weakley asw_1178954822743049
December Georgetown County SC
Naturalizing...
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Asparagus aethiopicus
FAMILY
Asparagaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Asparagus aethiopicus
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Asparagus aethiopicus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Asparagus aethiopicus
(?) (MISAPPLIED)
Flora of the Bahama Archipelago (Correll & Correll, 1982)
Asparagus densiflorus
3859
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Disturbed areas, seeding down especially around plantings, especially commonly planted in coastal areas; sometimes epiphytic in palm boots, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: southern Africa
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
This plant may be causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Axillary spines small
LEAVES:
Evergreen
Cladophylls and simple scalelike leaves
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
White to pale pink
6 tepals, perianth rotate to campanulate
6 stamens
Superior ovary
Bisexual
Flowers in axillary racemes
FRUIT:
Red
Berry
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".