408 



ASPARAGUS 



ASPARAGUS 



7. Cooperi, Baker. Hoots long, cylindric, more or 

 less fleshy: sts. large, up to %in. diam. and 60 or more 

 ft. long, branching above; main sts. and branches 

 dark green, with a soft, very short pubescence: cladodes 

 very dark green, %-%m. long, 5-12 in a cluster, much 

 stouter than in A. plumosus: final branches with twigs 

 and cladodes making beautiful pinnate fern-like sprays 

 ft. long: If .-scale swollen at base, red-brown, 



406. Asparagus plumosus var. tenuissimus. ( X \Q 



with a strong spine: fls. small, white, bell-shaped, sweet- 

 scented: berry about J^in. diam., red. S. Afr. G.Z. 21: 

 568, 569. This species is probably the largest one in 

 the genus, its long vines covered with beautiful dark 

 green sprays making a very desirable cover for pillars. 

 The side sprays are valuable for cut-green for florists' 

 use and, when removed, a second crop will appear 

 shortly on the old vines. 



8. umbellatus, Link. A spreading climber or under- 

 shrub: sts. terete, slender, scabrous, dark green, woody 

 below, branching: branches and twigs often reflexed 

 and pendulous: cladodes 3-10, terete, %-l in. long, 

 very dark green: fls. in axillary or terminal umbels; 

 pedicels J^in. long, perianth largest of genus, Vy-Vim. 

 spreading, white; segms. elliptic-obtuse; stamens dark 

 yellow: berry globose, yellow to dark 



red. Canary Isls. and Madeira. B.M. 

 7733. G.C. III. 28:379. The large, 

 sweet-scented fls. produced abundantly 

 in midsummer; a good plant for pillar 

 decoration; grows well from seed. 



9. retrofrfictus, Linn. (A. retrofrdctus 

 arbbreus, Hort.). Sts. slender (6 or more 

 ft.), becoming woody and gray, scarcely 

 climbing, zigzag, the branches wiry: 

 cladodes in close clusters, green, fili- " 

 form, about 1 in. long: If. -scale bases 

 spiny: fls. in umbels, small, white: berry 

 Email, nearly globose, 1-seeded. S. Afr. 

 Gn. 59:111. 



10. madagascarensis, Baker. Erect, much-branched 

 shrub, 1 ft. or more, suggesting Ruscus acuhatus: sts. 

 green, angled: cladodes 3, lanceolate, pointed, glabrous, 

 dark olive-green, often arranged on the twig in one 

 plane making a pinnately compound If. in appearance, 

 3 /y-%v\. long: base of If.-scale not spiny: fls. creamy 

 white, normally in 4's at end of twigs, Y^ai. diam.: 

 berry scarlet, 3-lobed, 1-3-seeded. Madagascar. B.M. 

 8046. A good pot-plant, especially in winter when it is 

 well set with scarlet berries. Thrives in either a hot or 

 temperate greenhouse, easily prop, from seed, which 

 are freely produced. 



11. scandens, Thunb. A slender climbing vine up to 

 6 ft.: sts. green, branching freely above: branches with 

 twigs and cladodes in one plane, suggesting A. filicinus 

 somewhat: cladodes flat, long, lanceolate-falcate, 3-5 

 in.: fascicle l A-%n. long, central one longest, glabrous, 

 light green: If .-scale minute, base not spined: fls. pendu- 

 lous, solitary or paired in axils, greenish white, Kin. 

 diam., perianth spreading, segms. elliptic-oblong: berry 



globose, Kin. diam., red, 1-seeded. S. Afr. B.M. 

 7675. G.C. III. 33:339. One of the weaker-growing 

 kinds of ornamental asparagus, thriving well in an 

 intermediate house. A good decorative plant when 

 grown in strings for table decoration; also good as a 

 pot-plant. Var. deflexus. Similar to type but with 

 branches deflexed: cladodes stiffer and smaller: fls. 

 smaller: seed often white. G.W. 5:446; 13:301. A. 

 crispus is often sold under this name, but is easily 

 distinguished by its 3-angled cladodes (see discussion 

 under No. 5). 



12. tetragdnus, Bresler (.4. racembsus tclragbnus, 

 Baker). A climbing vine, 15-20 ft. high: roots tuberous, 

 elliptic, 1-2 in. long: sts. gray to brown, branching 

 above: cladodes 3-8, usually 5, 3-4-angled, %-%m. 

 long, dense; more or less falcate: If.-scale on main st. 

 with a strong recurved basal spine up to J-^in. long: 

 fls. in racemes 2-3 in. long, on old wood; perianth white 

 or pink, }^in. diam., segms. obovate- obtuse; fls. fra- 

 grant. S. Afr. B.M. 8288. G.C. III. 23:147. 



13. drepanophyllus, Welw. (A. Duchesnei, Linden). 

 A tall climbing woody vine with tuberous roots 2-3 ft. 

 long: sts. 20-30 ft. long, terete, without main branches: 

 axillary twigs and cladodes making a compound cla- 

 dophyll from upper axils: twigs J^-2 ft. long, thick-set 

 with cladodes in fascicles of 3-5: If. -scales on twigs 

 5-ranked but cladodes turned into a horizontal plane: 

 central cladode 2-3 in. long, lateral \V^ in., the com- 

 pound cladophyll suggesting a frond of Asplenium: 

 If .-base with a strong spine: fls. in dense erect racemes, 

 3-8 in. long; pedicels deflexed in fascicles of 3-8; 

 perianth greenish, bell-shaped, not opening widely: 

 berry rare, 3-lobed, usually 1-seeded, J^in. diam., bright 

 scarlet, ripe in 90-120 days after the bloom. Oct.- 

 Jan. S. Cent., Afr., Congo region. G.C. III. 28:305. 



R.B.28:60. Gng. 15:131. A.F. 

 27:1139. A highly decorative 

 plant; the compound clado- 

 phylls valuable in florists' work. 

 Readily prop, by division or by 

 cuttings of the twigs taken off 

 with a heel, or piece 

 of the main st. at- 

 tached and put in a 

 sandy soil in a close 

 i case with bottom 

 /^heat. 



14. Sprengeri, 

 Regel. Figs. 407, 408. 

 U Roots tuberous, 

 l\ white, elliptic, not 

 \ densely clustered: sts. 

 i numerous, scarcely 

 climbing, 6 ft. or leas: 

 'side branches numerous, small, 

 angled: twigs 1-3 in. long: cla- 

 dodes 3-8, J^-1J^ in. long, flat, 

 linear, smooth, pointed, slightly 

 falcate, rich green: If.-scale on 

 main st. with a slender brown 

 brittle spine 5 8 in. long: fls. in 



/May-June, in open racemes 1 .'i 

 in. long; pedicels 1-2 from each 

 bract; fls. whitish pink, fragrant, 

 \ .^- perianth wide-spreading, K' n - : 

 Cf-*^ berry slightly 3-lobed, 1-3- 

 seeded, bright coral-red, up to 

 3^in. diam. Natal. One of the 

 most popular plants for cut- 

 green, easily grown in a mod- 

 erate temp. Plants in tubs or 

 baskets are very ornamental 

 when covered with the bright 

 407. Asparagus red berries which ripen about 



Sprengeri. ( x M) Christmas-time. Easily grown 



