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Asparagus aethiopicus 'Sprengeri' (Sprenger's Asparagus) - Evergreen perennial to 18 to 24 inches tall by 3 feet wide unless climbing on other plants where it can get taller. It has tuberous root and bright green leaves that form bundles on the arching stems which have hooks to enable it to climb. The small white flowers and followed by bright red berries.
Can grow in full sun or part shade; in good or poor soil; indoors or outdoors. It is cold hardy to short duration temperatures down to around 20 degrees F. Often used as a groundcover or in hanging baskets. This plant
Asparagus aethiopicus is native to the southern regions of South Africa, mainly in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and the Northern Provinces. The name for the genus originates from the original Greek word 'asparagos' that was given to the cultivated asparagus. The specific epithet means from Africa. The name is attributed to the German botanist Carl Ludwig Sprenger (1846-1917) who reportedly made the plant popular in Europe as an ornamental plant. Sprenger was a partner in the horticultural firm Dammann & Company of San Giovanni a Teduccio, Naples, Italy. The American botanist David Fairchild praised Sprenger as "a brilliant botanist who had established a nursery". This nursery was devastated by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in April 1906.
This plant is planted as an ornamental plant but considered an invasive weed in many locations. We first grew it in 1981 but stop growing it in 2003. The Lotusland Cycad collection once had this plant as the main groundcover and it took years to remove it all.
Information displayed on this page about Asparagus aethiopicus 'Sprengeri' is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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