Overview
Interesting Facts
Common Names
Click on the language to view common names.
Common Names in Danish:
Medeola
Common Names in English:
African Asparagus Fern, Bridal Creeper, Bridal Creeper (Aust), Bridal Veil Creeper, Bridal-Creeper, Bridal-Veil-Creeper, Florist´s Smilax, Gnarboola, Smilax, Smilax Asparagus
Common Names in French:
Liane Asperge
Common Names in Serbian:
Repulja
Description
Genus Asparagus
Herbs, shrubs
, or vines
, perennial
, from rhizomes, usually with fusiform
tubers, often with fernlike appearance
. Stems photosynthetic, erect
, spreading
or climbing
, branched; cladophylls
solitary or fasciculate, in nodes of reduced, scarious
leaves. Leaves small, scale-like, membranous, or sometimes spiny
with hardened base
, subtending
cladophylls. Inflorescences axillary
or terminal
, racemose, or umbellate
, paired
or solitary; racemes
short. Flowers bisexual
or unisexual
; perianth greenish, white, or yellowish, campanulate
to rotate; tepals 6, distinct
or shortly connate
basally, equal; stamens 6, distinct, equal; anthers
versatile, 2-locular, dehiscence introrse
; ovary superior, 3-locular, septal nectaries present; style 3-branched distally; pedicel with conspicuous
joint
. Fruits baccate
, red or purplish black, globose
, often with tepals persisting at base. Seeds 1-6, black, globose to angular. x
= 10.
Species 170-300: introduced
; Europe, Asia, Africa; some widely introduced, expected elsewhere.
Asparagus is a moderately important horticultural genus, with one species commonly grown for its edible young shoots
and a number of others grown ornamentally. The genus is treated here in a broad sense (K
. Kubitzki and P. J. Rudall 1998; W. S. Judd 2001) and encompasses species that have been segregated in several genera (A. L. Takhtajan 1997; S. T. Malcomber and Sebsebe D. 1993). Embryological features (P. J. Rudall et al.
1998) and DNA-based analyses (M.
W. Chase et al. 1996; M. F. Fay et al. 2000; P. J. Rudall et al. 1997) support
the monophyly
of Asparagus and the Asparagaceae.[1]
Physical Description
Species Asparagus asparagoides
Vines , erect to deflexed , branching, climbing to 1.5 m ; roots tuberous . Stems slender, to 3 m, wiry, smooth to slightly ridged ; cladophylls solitary at each node, broadly lanceolate to ovate , 15-35 × 5-15(-20) mm, leathery, with 20-24 parallel veins. Leaves membranous, 1-2 mm; blade broadly lanceolate. Inflorescences in axillary umbels, 1-3(-4) -flowered. Flowers bisexual ; perianth campanulate ; tepals white, with green median stripe abaxially, 5-7 × 1-1.5 mm; pedicel 5-8 mm, with hard, raised joint 1-3 mm above base . Berries red, 6-8 mm. Seeds 1-4(-6). 2n = 20. Flowering spring--summer. [source]
Habit: Vine , Forb/herb
Flowers: Flower Color: inconspicuous, none
Size/Age/Growth
Size: 6-12" tall.
Habitat
Waste places, open forests , roadsides; 0--100 m [2].
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 1,660 meters (0 to 5,446 feet).[3]
Biology
Reproduction
Duration: Perennial
Growth
Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full sun .
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
()
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
()
- Brongniart, 1843
- Dicotyledons
- Subclass:
Liliidae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Lilianae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Order:
Asparagales
()
- Bromhead, 1838
- Suborder:
Asparagineae
()
-
- Family:
Asparagaceae
()
- A.L. de Jussieu, 1789, nom. cons.
- Subfamily:
Asparagoideae
()
- Subfamily:
Asparagoideae
(
- Family:
Asparagaceae
(
- Suborder:
Asparagineae
(
- Order:
Asparagales
(
- Superorder:
Lilianae
(
- Subclass:
Liliidae
(
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Synonyms
Medeola asparagoides Linnaeus
Similar Species
Members of the genus Asparagus
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 52 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
A. acerosus (Wild Asparagus) · A. acutifolius (Lesser Asparagus) · A. africanus (African Asparagus) · A. aphyllus (Israel Wild Asparagus) · A. asparagoides (African Asparagus Fern) · A. declinatus (Bridal Veil) · A. densiflorus (Asparagus Fern) · A. densiflorus 'Meyersii' (Meyersii Foxtail Fern Asparagus Densiflorus) · A. densiflorus 'Myersii' (Myer's Foxtail Fern) · A. densiflorus 'Sprengeri Compacta' (Compact Sprenger Asparagus Fern) · A. denudatus (Asparagus Fern) · A. draco (Canary Island Dragon Tree) · A. falcatus (Asparagus Fern) · A. filicinus (Fern Asparagus) · A. graminifolius (Lilyturf) · A. macowanii (Ming Fern) · A. officinalis officinalis (Asparagus) · A. officinalis prostratus (Wild Asparagus) · A. officinalis 'Ariane' (Asparagus 'ariane') · A. officinalis 'Bejo 2241' (Asparagus 'bejo 2241') · A. officinalis 'Bejo 2245' (Asparagus 'bejo 2245') · A. officinalis 'Millenium' (Asparagus) · A. officinalis 'Raffaelo' (Asparagus 'raffaelo') · A. officinalis 'Ramires' (Asparagus 'ramires') · A. pyramidalis (Asparagus Fern) · A. racemosus (Indian Asparagus) · A. scandens (Climbing Asparagus) · A. setaceus (Asparagus Fern) · A. tenuifolius (Narrow-Leaved Asparagus) · A. terminalis (Chinese Colli) · A. verticillatus (Climbing Asparagus) · A. virgatus (Broom Fern) · A. 'Apollo' (Hybrid Asparagus) · A. 'Atlas' (Asparagus) · A. 'Connover's Colossal' (Asparagus) · A. 'Dariana' (Asparagus) · A. 'French Market' (Asparagus) · A. 'Golia' (Asparagus) · A. 'Grande' (Hybrid Asparagus) · A. 'Ida Lea' (Asparagus) · A. 'Jersey Gem' (Hybrid Asparagus) · A. 'Jersey Giant' (Hybrid Asparagus) · A. 'Jersey King' (Hybrid Asparagus) · A. 'Jersey Knight' (Hybrid Asparagus) · A. 'Jersey Supreme' (Hybrid Asparagus) · A. 'Marte' (Asparagus) · A. 'Martha Washington' (Hybrid Asparagus) · A. 'Mary Washington' (Mary Washington Hybrid Asparagus Asparagus) · A. 'Precoce D'argenteuil' (Asparagus) · A. 'Purple Passion' (Asparagus) · A. 'Theilim' (Asparagus) · A. 'Uc 157' (Hybrid Asparagus)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Flora of Guatemala / Paul C. Standley and Julian A. Steyermark. 24 1952 Chicago: Chicago Natural History Museum, 1952. url p. 68, p. 69.
- List of intercepted plant pests / United States Department of Agriculture, Plant Quarantine and Control Administration. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O.], 1932- url p. 302, p. 328, p. 356.
- Manual of vascular plants of the lower Yangtze Valley, China. Corvallis, Oregon State College[1958] url p. 520, p. 582.
- Plant culture; a working handbook of every day practice for all who grow flowering and ornamental plants in the garden and greenhouse, New York, A. T. De La Mare Co., Inc.[c1921] url .
- Standardized plant names; a catalogue of approved scientific and common names of plants in American commerce. Salem, Mass., 1923. url p. 22, p. 470.
- The cultivated evergreens; a handbook of the coniferous and most important broad-leaved evergreens planted for ornament in the United States and Canada, edited by L. H. Bailey. London, Macmillan & co., ltd., 1923. url p. 378, p. 408.
- The nursery-manual; a complete guide to the multiplication of plants, by L. H. Bailey. New York: Macmillan, [1920] url p. 244, p. 364.
- The standard cyclopedia of horticulture; a discussion, for the amateur, and the professional and commercial grower, of the kinds, characteristics and methods of cultivation of the species of plants grown in the regions of the United States a Illustrated with colored plates, four thousand engravings in the text, and ninety-six full-page cuts. New York, Macmillan, 1919 [c1914] url p. 1476, p. 2019, p. 2705, p. 2706, p. 3581, p. 406, p. 407, p. 409.
- Cooney-Sovetts, C. and R. Sattler. 1986. Phylloclade development in the Asparagaceae: An example of homoeosis. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 94: 327-371.
- Jessop, J. P. 1966. The genus Asparagus in southern Africa. Bothalia 9: 31-96.
- Malcomber, S. T. and Sebsebe D. 1993. The status of Protasparagus and Myrsiphyllum in the Asparagaceae. Kew Bull. 48: 63-78.
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 31, 2012.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 17, 2007:
- Australian National Herbarium
- , Australian National Herbarium
- Berkeley Natural History Museums, University and Jepson Herbaria DiGIR provider
- Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, NSW herbarium collection
- USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2662452
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Kew-274958
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13754645
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:143327-3
- GRIN Nomen Number: 4494
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 42783
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 531014-1
- MoBot NameID: 18401268
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PMLIL08010
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: ASAS4
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 19983
Footnotes
- Gerald B. Straley & Frederick H. Utech "Asparagus". in Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 20, 50, 53, 54, 213. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- "Asparagus asparagoides". in Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 212, 213, 214. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- Mean = 406.550 meters (1,333.825 feet), Standard Deviation = 752.700 based on 120 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
