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Asparagus africanus

Botanic Family

Asparagaceae

Author

Lamarck

Common Names

• Ikhonda-a-fangle (Kinyaturu)
• Umushaabishaabi (Kirundi)
• Catbush
• Sparrowgrass
• Wild Asparagus

Geographical Habitats

• Angola
• Benin
• Botswana
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Congo
• Djibouti
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritraea
• Ethiopia
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Ghana
• India
• Ivory Coast
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Oman
• Rwanda
• Saudi Arabia
• Senegal
• Somalia
• Cape Province
• Orange Free State
• Natal
• Northern Provinces - South Africa
• Sudan
• Swaziland
• Tanzania
• Togo
• Uganda
• Yemen
• Zaire
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

Natural Habitats

• Montane areas
• forest
• woodland
• disturbed areas

Flowering Times

• Apr
• Jun
• Sep

Fruiting Times

• Jun

Tall climbing glabrous shrub to 5m with glabrous woody branches, climbs with short red spines to 10mm long. Leaves reduced to pungent spines, cladode to 25mm long, 3-12 cladodes per fascicle. Lateral umbels of creamy-white flowers to 4mm long, 2-8 per fascicle. Red berries to 6mm diameter.

Further References

• Bailey 1976
• Huxley 1992
• Mobot
• The Plant List 2
• FOTA
• Exotica
• Kew
• FZ