Asparagus racemosus

Asparagus racemosus is a spiny creeper growing branched stems reaching 2 m in length.

The species is widely distributed across South Africa, maybe absent only from the Gauteng and North West provinces while probably most common in the Eastern Cape. It is found widely in Africa and Asia, important in tradition medicine in India and the Himalayas. This plant was seen in the Addo Elephant Park in August.

The habitat is diverse, in coastal scrub to elevations around 1400 m where it grows in gravelly soils on flats and slopes. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Gledhill, 1981; iSpot; Wikipedia; http://redlist.sanbi.org).