Cluster-leaved asparagus
Asparagus laricinus

Family: Asparagaceae

What it is like

A wiry twining shrub. It grows a few metres high. It is spiny. The stems are woody and hairy and have grooves. The leaves are needle like and in rings along the branches. There are about 60 in a cluster. They are 3.5 cm long and very fine. The flowers are small and white. They have a sweet scent. The fruit are green berries that turn red as they ripen. They contain one seed.

There are between 160-300 Asparagus species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows on the edges of forests. It can grow on termite mounds. It grows on well-drained soils. In southern Africa it grows between 60-2,070 m altitude. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Australia, Botswana, Central Africa, East Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The young shoots are eaten as a vegetable. The fruit are eaten as a snack.

They are an attractive food.

Edible parts

Shoots, vegetable, fruit, stems

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Katdoring, Lesitoane, Tsitsidzucua

Synonyms

Protoasparagus laricinus (Burch.) Oberm.;