Asparagus lignosus stems may zigzag markedly. Spines and false leaf clusters grow from the nodes of the conspicuously creamy white stems.
The thin, straight false leaves or cladodes are needle-like and leathery with pointed tips. Climatic conditions may cause the colour differences; their short-term fortune reflected in dark or bright green to yellow-green. Even when a plant is flourishing with ample foliage, the stems remain quite visible. The cladodes become from 1 cm to 2 cm long, typically seven to ten of them in one tuft (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Manning, 2007; iNaturalist; iSpot).