lO ASPARAGUS 



mental. The stems are perennial, terete, dark brown, 

 woody, one-half inch in diameter at the base, very 

 spinous, freel}' branched, and branches zigzag and 

 gray, the leaves in clusters one-fourth inch apart, hair- 

 like, one and one-half inches long, bright green, per- 

 sistent. Flowers axillary, many in a cluster, small, 

 campanulate, white. Berries globose, dull red, one 

 seeded, one-sixth of an inch in diameter. Common 

 in various parts of South Africa. It is an excellent 

 pillar plant. 



A. racemosus. — This species is spread throughout 

 the tropics of Africa and Asia; the Cape form of it is 

 represented at Kew under the name of variety tetra- 

 gonus, as shown in Fig. 5. This is a vigorous grower, 

 with woody stems nine feet long, prickly at the base, 

 fawn colored, freely branching above, each branch 

 having at its base a sharp spine three-quarters of an 

 inch long. The leaves are of a gray-green hue, four- 

 angled, one-quarter of an inch long. Flowers in 

 racemes two inches long, whitish, very fragrant. Berry 

 red, globose, pulpy, one-seeded. An excellent climber 

 for rafters, pillars, etc., growing vigorously under 

 ordinary treatment. Its root system is a dense mass 

 of tubers. 



A. sarmc7iiosns (Fig. 6). — An elegant evergreen 

 species from South Africa, where it grows freely in 

 nicist situations, forming dense, brushy stems with short 

 prickles, and studded with white, starry, fragrant flow- 

 ers, which are followed with bright scarlet, pea-like 

 berries ; has stems four feet high, freely branched and/ 

 clothed with dark green flat leaves three inches long. 



