Asparagus burchellii

Asparagus burchellii, is a shrub of the Asparagus genus, that is indigenous to the southern Cape regions, South Africa.

Asparagus burchellii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Asparagoideae
Genus: Asparagus
Species:
A. burchellii
Binomial name
Asparagus burchellii

Description

A perennial shrub that reaches 2 metres (6.6 ft) in height. The stems are smooth, zig-zagged and end in spines.

Groups of straight-to-curved 5 millimetres (0.20 in) spines radiate from each node along the stem. These spines are in groups of 3, 5 or 7, and the lateral ones usually have growth nodes on them.

It has tufts of extremely small (maximum 3 millimetres (0.12 in) long) leaves.

The white flowers appear in autumn, on stalks (unlike the sessile flowers of Asparagus capensis) and are very fragrant. The fruits are extremely small berries (3 millimetres (0.12 in)) that do not change colour when they ripen (i.e. they stay green).[1]

This species is part of a group of closely related southern African Asparagus species, that are all small, erect shrubs with grouped spines (modified branch-tips) and compound tufts of leaves. Other species in this group include the widespread Asparagus suaveolens and Asparagus capensis, the coastal Asparagus mariae of Agulhas, Asparagus flavicaulis and Asparagus spinescens.[2]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Eastern Cape Province and the Western Cape Province as far as Stellenbosch. It is common in scrub, renosterveld and karoo vegetation.[3]

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References
  1. Obermeyer, A.A. & Immelman, K.L, (1992). Flora of southern Africa, Volume 5, Part 3: 59, 60. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  2. Maria F Norup, Gitte Petersen, Sandie Burrows, Yanis Bouchenak-Khelladi, Jim Leebens-Mack, J Chris Pires, H Peter Linder, Ole Seberg. (2015). Evolution of Asparagus L. (Asparagaceae): Out-of-South-Africa and multiple origins of sexual dimorphism. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 92: 25-44.
  3. http://redlist.sanbi.org/species.php?species=728-22


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