40S 



ASPARAGUS 



ASPARAGUS 



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

 less fleshy: sts. larjie, up to ■''4111. (iiaiii. ami 60 or more 

 ft. long, braiu'liing above; main sts. and branches 

 dark preen, with a soft, verv short pubeseenee: ('ladodes 

 very dark green, ,'4-'2>n. ionf". 0-12 in a cluster, much 

 stouter than in .1. plumosiis: final branches with twigs 

 and eladodes making beaut ifvil pinnate fern-like sprays 

 J2-3 ft. long: If .-scale swollen at base, red-brown, 



- ,^//-^ 



fe .jit. 





406. Asparagus plumosus var. tenuissimus. (XJi) 



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

 scented: berry about Jlin. 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: eladodes 3-10, terete, ^-^ in. long, 

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

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

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

 yellow: berry globose, yellow to dark 

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

 77;i3. 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. retrofractus, Linn. (.4. retrofrdctus 

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

 ft.}, becoming woody and gray, scarcely 

 climbing, zigzag, the branches wiry: 

 eladodes 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 aculeatus: sts. 

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

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

 plane making a pinnately compound If. in appearance, 

 ^/ff-^m. long: base of If. -scale not spiny: fls. creamy 

 white, normally in 4's at end of twigs, ]4vn. diam.: 

 berr>' scarlet, 3-lobed, 1-3-seeded. Madagascar. B.M. 

 8046. — A good pot-plant, e.specially in winter when it is 

 well .set with scarlet berries. Thri\es in either a hot or 

 temperate greenhouse, ea-sily prop, from seed, which 

 are freely produced. 



11. sc&ndens, Thunb. A .slender climbing vine up to 

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

 twigs and eladodes in one plane, suggesting A. fdiciniis 

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

 in.: fascicle K-J^in- long, central one longest, glabrous, 

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

 lous, .s*j|itary or paired in axils, greenish white, ^in. 

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



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

 7()75. G.C. in. 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: eladodes 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 eladodes (see discussion 

 under No. 5). 



12. tetragonus, Bresler (A. racemosus telragonus, 

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

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

 above: eladodes 3-8, usually 5, 3— 4-angled, 's'-J^^in. 

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

 with a strong recurved basal spine up to Join, long: 

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

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

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



13. drepanophyllus, Welw. (,4. Duchesnci, 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 eladodes making a compound cla- 

 do]3hyil from upper axils: twigs J^-2 ft. long, thick-set 

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

 5-ranked but eladodes turned into a horizontal plane: 

 central cladode 2-3 in. long, lateral IH in., the com- 

 pound cladophyll suggesting a frond of .\splenium: 

 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, Jiin. diam., briglit 

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

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



R.B. 2S:(j0. Gng. 15:131. A.F. 

 t\ - 27:1139. — A highly decorative 



plant; the compound clado- 

 phylls valuable in florists' work. 

 ((/JM^llW / 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 

 case with bottom 

 heat. 



14. Sprengeri, 

 Kegel. Figs. 407, 408. 

 Roots tuberous, 

 white, elliptic, not 

 \\ densely clustered: sts. 

 numerous, scarcely 

 climbing, 6 ft. or less: 

 side branches numerous, small, 

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

 dodes 3-8, H-lli in. long, flat, 

 linear, smooth, pointed, shghtly 

 falcate, rich green: If. -scale on 

 main st. with a slender brown 

 brittle spine 'gin. long: fls. in 

 May-June, in open racemes 1-3 

 in. long; pedicels 1-2 from each 

 bract; fls. whitish pink, fragrant, 

 perianth wide-spreading, iein-: 

 berry slightly 3-lobed, 1-3- 

 seeded, bright coral-red, up to 

 J4in. 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 H) Christmas-time. Easily grown 



