Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Asparagus asparagoides
Common name
Bridal creeper, Florist's smilax
Family
Asparagaceae
Where found
Forest, woodland, urban bushland, roadsides, disturbed sites, along streams, and coastal habitats. Coast and ranges, especially the Sydney area. Western Slopes. Sporadic elsewhere. Doubtfully naturalised in the ACT.
Notes
Introduced climbing herb, or prostrate, to 4 m high, arising annually from a rhizome. Stems rounded, zigzag, twisted and wiry, ridged, hairless. True leaves scale like, 0.2-0.4 cm long, subtending the 'leaves'. 'Leaves' alternating up the stems, 1-7 cm long, 4-30 mm wide, flattened, hairless, many-veined. Flowers white to greenish white, 5-10 mm in diameter, with 6 'petals', single or several flowers together. Flowers Winter to Spring. Fruit green for a long time, eventually turning red, round, 5-10 mm in diameter. Fruits Winter to Summer.
A Weed of National Significance. General Biosecurity Duty with additional restrictions in all NSW. Pest plant ACT. Noxious weed Vic.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Asparagus~asparagoides (accessed 3 January, 2021)
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