ASPARAGUS FERN (WEED)
Asparagus aethiopicus ‘Sprengeri’, Fam. Asparagaceae
Wiry climbing or sprawling perennial with many arching stems 2-5m long, armed with recurved spines, less than 5mm long, tuberous roots that don’t reproduce.
| Form or habit: | Climbing or twining plant |
| Latex: | Asparagaceae |
| Leaf: | Simple Unknown Reduced to scales. Cladodes (slender or leaf-like structures that function as leaves) are present in axils of the scale-leaves. Cladodes 2-5, narrow elliptic to linear, 15-25 x 2-3mm |
| Flower conspicuous: | Inconspicuous |
| Flower colour: | White to pinkish |
| Flower description: | Tiny 3-4mm long: white to pinkish, borne on 4-10mm long racemes |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Fruit colour: | Red |
| Fruit: | Fleshy |
| Fruit description: | Small one-seeded berries: red about 5-8 mm diameter. Seeds small round and black. |
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| Distribution | |
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| Origin: | Africa |
| Weed: | Yes |
| Weed status: | Declared class 3 |
| Notes: | Spread by: Birds, garden waste and water; underground rhizomes. Invades/threats: Natural areas ‘anywhere’, highly invasive with severe impact. Notes: Introduced as garden ornamentals. A third declared species, Climbing Asparagus Fern (Asparagus africanus) has not been recorded in this region. NB Native Asparagus Fern(A. racemosa), is a local species that has 2-5 cladodes, 10-30 x <1mm. Asparagus Fern is a Category 3 restricted invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014. It must not be given away, sold, or released into the environment without a permit. The Act requires everyone to take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise the risks associated with invasive plants and animals under their control. This is called a general biosecurity obligation (GBO). |
| Information sources: | Mackay Regional Pest Management Group (2011) Weeds of the Mackay Whitsunday Region. |
