Aparagus Meyeri - Cat's Tail

Asparagus densiflorus ‘Meyersii’ is a neat, upright plant, with a height of between 300–600 mm and a width of approximately 400–700 mm. The plants have a rhizomatous root system with long fibrous roots bearing oval, turgid, creamy-beige tubers all along the side roots, which assist the plant in surviving long periods of drought. The evergreen, almost equally long stems of this plant, emerge at a central point directly from the ground, remaining close together, often become woody and spiny at their bases as they mature.

Gracefully erect, the cylindrical branches which arch slightly at their tip (thus resembling a cat’s tail), are densely covered in bright green, short, needle-like leaves, that give this plant an attractive delicately textured appearance. What appear to be the ‘leaves’ are actually modified stems called cladodes (phylloclades). These linear, flattened structures occur in groups of 3 or more at a node and give the plants  its compact shape and form. The real leaves are actually heavily-reduced, bract-like spurs, which can harden to form the characteristic spines found in most species of Asparagus.

Concealed within this foliage and borne in the branch axils close along the stems, very small and sweetly fragrant flowers occur in summer, from November to April. They are star-shaped and glossy, white, sometimes with a light pink tinge, and often prettily displaying their yellow-orange anthers. The fruits appear from March, often while the plant is still flowering, and are spherical berries, 10 mm in diameter. They are green at first, slowly ripening to a showy, bright orange-red, each containing a single, rounded, hard, black seed.

Indigenous : Eastern Cape