Species · genus Asparagus · Asparagaceae

Asparagus Fern

Asparagus densiflorus (Kunth) Jessop

Also known as: Foxtail Asparagus · Foxtail Asparagus-fern · Foxtail Fern · Plume Asparagus-fern · Sprenger's Asparagus

Growth habit

perennial

Native range

Cape Provinces, Eswatini, KwaZulu-Natal, Mozambique, Northern Provinces

Reference · A. densiflorus

Cultivars of A. densiflorus

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under A. densiflorus yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A perennial from southern Africa that stores moisture in fleshy, tuberous roots, so it tolerates drying out far better than sitting wet. Give it bright indirect light and water only when the top inch or two of mix is dry; the swollen roots rot if kept saturated. It can take some morning sun but harsh direct light may scorch the fine foliage.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 14 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

13–24 °C

Soil mix

Loose, well-draining potting mix with perlite

Propagation

Division of the tuberous crown

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed monthly in the growing season

Growth rate

Fast

Flowering

Small white flowers followed by red berries, occasionally indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs

Asparagus fern — sapogenins; vomiting, abdominal pain (berries worst). This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Asparagus Fern yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.