Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Asparagus plumosus

Stems with green and ripe fruit. Photographer Jackie Miles

Fruiting stems. Australian Plant Image Index, Australian Tropical Rainforest key

Common name

Climbing Asparagus Fern, Ferny Asparagus

Family

Asparagaceae

Where found

Forest, urban bushland, roadsides, disturbed sites, parks, gardens, and old habitations. Sydney area and the mountains to the west. Occasionally coastal south of Sydney.

Notes

Introduced twiner with wiry climbing perennial stems to about 5 m long. Rhizomatous. Fruit fleshy. Stems hairless, spineless, or with scattered spines usually less than 5 mm long. True leaves scale-like, 0.05-0.1 cm long, subtending the 'leaves'. 'Leaves' in clusters of 8–15, 0.3–0.8 cm long, less than 1 mm wide, cylindrical, more or less hairless. Flowers greenish to white, with 6 'petals' each 3–4 mm long. Flowers single or paired. Flowering: spring–summer; fruits until June. Ripe fruit black or bluish black, almost round, 4-5 mm in diameter.

A Weed of National Significance. General Biosecurity Duty with additional restrictions all NSW. Pest plant ACT (as Asparagus plumosa). Noxious weed Vic.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Asparagus~plumosus  (accessed 3 January, 2021)