Species Asparagus shirensis

From the Greek aspharagos, the name given to the edible Asparagus. A wide-spread genus which is greatly in need of revision. The root-system is an important character in the grouping, but owing to the inadequacy of the existing descriptions and the imperfection of the type specimens, correct identification is often very difficult. The flowering seasons seem to depend very largely on habitat. Some of the spiny species are called Wag-’n-bietjie.