About Asparagus striatus (L.f.) Thunb.
Asparagus striatus (L.f.) Thunb. is a tough, perennial shrub that grows up to 60 cm tall. Unlike many of its related species, it does not have spines. Its stems are hard and green. The leaves are borne singly, not in clusters or tufts. They are slender, measuring approximately 35 mm long by 2 to 5 mm wide, and are hard and green, with sharp tips. Parasitism by the fly Asparagobius braunsi often causes this plant to develop rounded gray-green galls on its stems. Fragrant white flowers emerge after rain, and the plant produces small 5 mm-wide berries that turn reddish orange when fully ripe. This species is endemic to South Africa. Its range extends from Bredasdorp and the Overberg in the south, northward to Eastern Cape Province and Free State. It grows naturally in rocky shale and clay-rich soils, within succulent karoo or renosterveld vegetation.
