Asparagus nelsii
Schinz
Sandveld asparagus
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(c) Tony Benn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tony Benn
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(c) Sascha Schumann, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sascha Schumann
Description
A herb or small spreading shrub. It keeps growing from year to year but loses its leaves. The stems are spiny. It grows 1 m high. The flattened leaf like stems are narrow and in groups or 4-9. They are greyish-green and 25 mm long. The flowers are white or pale green. The fruit is a one-seeded red berry.
Edible Uses
Both the fruit and tender shoots are eaten as vegetables.
Traditional Uses
The plant is eaten as a vegetable.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
It is a subtropical plant. It grows on soil from limestone material. It grows in well-drained sandy or stony soils. It can grow in arid places.
Where It Grows
Africa, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa,
Also Known As
Orukumbambura
References (4)
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 4th April 2011]
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 30
- Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
