Species · genus Asparagus · Asparagaceae

Common Asparagus Fern

Asparagus setaceus (Kunth) Jessop

Also known as: Asparagus Fern · Lace Fern · Bridal Fern · Wedding Fern · = Asparagus Setaceus (Kunth) Jessop

Growth habit

scrambling perennial

Native range

Botswana, Cape Provinces, Comoros, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Free State, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Northern Provinces, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Reference · A. setaceus

Cultivars of A. setaceus

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

No named cultivars catalogued under A. setaceus 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.

Asparagus setaceus is a scrambling perennial from southern and eastern Africa, with fine, fern-like foliage on wiry stems and a fleshy, water-storing root system. Give it bright, indirect light out of harsh midday sun, and let the top inch of mix dry before watering again, since the roots hold reserves and sit poorly in soggy soil. It accepts ordinary household humidity but appreciates a little extra airflow and moisture if the fine foliage browns at the tips.

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 7-12d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 12 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

13–24 °C

Soil mix

Light, well-draining peat-based mix

Propagation

Division of tubers, or seed

Fertilizing

Diluted balanced feed monthly in spring and summer

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs

Asparagus/lace fern — sapogenins; vomiting, abdominal pain. 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 7-12d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Common 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.