27 



Asparagus (Eimsparagus) oligoclonos Maxim. Prim. Fl. Amur. 

 (1859) p. 287 ; Miq. Prol. Fl. Jap. p. 315 ; Franch. et Sav. Enum. PL 

 Jap. II. p. 59 ; Baker, Rev. Gen. et Sp. Asparag. in Journ. Linn. Soc. XIV. 

 (1875) p. 599 ; Bretscli. Hist. Bot. Bisc. in China, p. 615 ; Palib. Consp. 

 Fl. Ivor. III. p. 9 ; Matsnm. Ind. PI. Jap. II. 1, p. 192. 



Asparagus officinalis var. Sieb. herb, ex Miq. ]. c. 



Asparagus Tainabohi Yatabe in Bot. Mag., Tokyo, VII. (1893) p. 61, 

 tab, 4 ; Matsum. 1. c. 



Perennial. Rhizome short, creeping or ascending, ramose, hard ; roots 

 dense, elongate, slender, strong. Stem erect or ascending, attaining about 

 70 cm. in height, snbterete and loosely sparse with adpressed scaly leaves 

 in the basal portion, subangulato-terete (but sulcato-angulate when dried) 

 and substriate above, smooth in angles when recent but subscabrous above 

 when dried as are branches, deep green and disparsed with very minute 

 pale spots under lens as are the branches ; branches numerous and subclose, 

 disposed into a pyramidal form, erect-patent or patulose, straight, subangu- 

 late and striate, slightly compressed towards the base, with dense cladodia 

 excepting the base, the lower ones longer and attaining about 29cm. in length, 

 the superior ones gradually shorter and the uppermost one about 1^ cm. 

 long, the inferior ones often with about 1-5 (or sometimes 14) patulose 

 branchlets which are attaining about 6cm. long; internodes much shorter 

 than the fascicles of cladodia. Leaves deltoid, subulato-deltoid in those 

 of the upper portion of stem, sharply acuminate, closely adpressed, membra- 

 naceous, very shortly produced at the base, 2-8 mm. long, 2-7 mm. broad ; 

 those under cladodia small, deltoid, shortly acute, thinly membranacous, 

 scarious, often subtrilobed, the basal projection obscure. Cladodia 1-8, 

 fasciculate, spreading or erect-patent, nearly equal in length, linear-filiform, 

 subulate above with a sharply acute point, angulato-subterete, striate when 

 dried, straight but somewhat arcuate, about 2-3| cm. long or shorter, |-f mm. 

 sometimes 1 mm, across, deep green, densely scattered with very minute 

 pale spots under lens. Flowers appear below the middle of stem and 

 branches, numerous and dense, dioecious, pedicellate, geminate ; pedicel 

 gracile, 7-9 mm. or more long in flower, articulated in middle or above it, 

 the lower half subhorizontal, the upper half thicker and deflexed. Male 

 flower : perianth turned downwards, 6-7 mm. long, 6 mm. across in the 

 limb, tubuloso-campanulate with patent-recurved limb, obtuse at the base, 

 glabrous, yellowish-viridesccnt and usually shaded with dark jnirple (the 

 shade often deeper towards the tube) ; the tube very slightly shorter than 

 the limb : segments obtuse, thinner and slightly pale towards the entire 



