Cultivation Details
Asparagus densiflorus is a plant of the subtropics and tropics, where it is found at elevations up to metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 21 - 27°c, but can tolerate 15 - 32°c[2]. Mature plants can be killed by temperatures of -7°c or lower, although new growth can be severely damaged at 0°c[3, 2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 1,400mm, but tolerates 700 - 1,700mm[2]. Grows best in a sunny position, but will tolerate some shade[3, 2]. Prefers a well-drained, medium-textured soil[2]. Tolerant of at least some salt in the soil[3]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, tolerating 5.5 - 7.5[2]. Established plants are fairly drought tolerant[3]. The plant is widely grown as an ornamental and has sometimes escaped from cultivation and become naturalized. It is dispersed by birds who eat the fruit then void the unharmed seed[4].
Propagation
Seed - it needs to be removed from the fruit. It germinates best at a temperature of 25°c[3]. Division of the tubers into fairly large clumps[3]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Asparagus+densiflorus>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Poisonous Plants of North Carolina — http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm ↩︎An excellent concise but comprehensive guide to toxic plants that grow in N. Carolina. It lists even those plants that are of very low toxicity, including several well-known food plants such as carrots and potatoes.
- [2]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
- [3]PlantZAfrica.com — http://www.plantzafrica.com ↩︎An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
- [4]Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk — http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html ↩︎A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
- [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.