Beautiful Asparagus Berries

Among the numerous species of Asparagus found in South Africa, many have long, sharp spines that make them a challenge to work with in the garden.

- Graham Duncan

But A. densiflorus, the emerald fern or basket asparagus, has relatively small thorns and is a superb garden and container plant. A member of the family Asparagaceae, Asparagus has about 120 species and occurs mainly in Africa, but also in Europe and Asia. The asparagus widely grown commercially as a fresh or tinned vegetable crop is A. officinalis, from Europe and western Asia. A. densiflorus is native mainly to the eastern coastal summer-rainfall parts of South Africa, from Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal and southern Mozambique. It occurs in full sun on dunes and rocky outcrops, and in semi-shade in woodland. It is a very variable species with numerous different growth forms, some of which have cultivar status, such as