Ground Asparagus

Ground asparagus… though not an asparagus bearer, though.

Ground asparagus is also known as basket asparagus, Sprenger’s asparagus and asparagus fern.
Ground asparagus is from the family Asparagaceae, which is the family of asparagus and flowering plants.
Ground asparagus have tiny bell like flowers that are white to palish pink in colour and bloom in spring and last until autumn.
Ground asparagus is a small perennial, low lying, scrambling shrub that has a number of stems coming from the ground that have ferny looking cladodes (water storing leaf like segments) and small thorns attached.
Ground asparagus is easily grown from the rhizomes and through seeds that birds spread, making it an invasive weed in many areas.

South Africa is the native home of ground asparagus, where it is found in coastal areas.
The scientific classification for ground asparagus is Asparagus aethiopicus, although it is often confused with Asparagus densiflorus, which it is often called, and is similar in appearance.
Ground asparagus have berries that start off green and ripen to a red colour, and grow to 5 to 8mm (0.2 to 0.3 inches) in diameter.
Although ground asparagus is known as an invasive weed in a number of countries in the world, especially Australia, New Zealand, and parts of the United States, it is still used for decoration in shady areas or rocky gardens.
The berries of ground asparagus are poisonous, causing symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhoea and vomiting.