Asparagus capensis

This Asparagus capensis shrub by the sea is covered in tiny false leaves, creamy white flowers and rigid, sharp spines. The visible spines are straight; there are also smaller, recurved ones. All the greenish growth covers the stems in dense columns.

The plant is adapted to varied conditions. Here it thrives within reach of the salt spray in sandy soil, but it also occurs far inland on rocky slopes in clayey soil (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Manning, 2007; iSpot).