This species is often confused with Asparagus africanus. In practice, both species are used similarly without discrimination[].

Common Name:

General Information

Asparagus flagellaris is a scandent or more or less erect plant with arching spiny annual branchlets produced from a woody rootstock. Closely resembling the commercial asparagus, A. officinalis, its stems usually range from 2 - 3 metres tall, occasionally climbing to a height of 4 metres[].
The plant is gathered from the wild for local use as a food and medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Senegal to Ethiopia, south to the Congo and Tanzania.

Habitat

Thickets and woodland in the savannah[]. Wooded grasslands at low and medium elevations, up to 2,100 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	2.50 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of low to moderate elevations in the tropics. It grows in areas where the mean annual rainfall is in the range 1,000 - 1,800mm[].
Succeeds in a variety of soil types[]. Thick, succulent shoots are produced when the plant is grown in a rich, moist soil[].
This species is capable of being improved by breeding and cultivation[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. The fleshy, orange fruit are collected from the plant in handfuls and the juice sucked out, whilst the solid part is discarded[, ]. They have a sweet flavour[]. The fruit is usually only eaten by children and is used especially in famine periods. It is highly nutritious and therefore important during such times of famine[].

Young shoots - cooked and used as a vegetable[]. They are dug out, washed, peeled and chewed by children and herdsmen in order to quench thirst and hunger[, ].

Root tubers - cooked. The fleshy tubers are edible after several hours cooking[]

Medicinal

The plant is used as a diuretic and laxative[].

The roots have a variety of medicinal uses. They are used in various ways as a treatment against syphilis, gonorrhoea and other sexually transmitted diseases - either being macerated and then decocted and drunk; added to food; or used in baths[, ]. The roots are boiled, mixed with milk and given to women immediately after childbirth to release the afterbirth[]. The root is chewed, or macerated and gargled, as a remedy for throat troubles[].
A root macerate is used against earache, as a treatment for conditions such as haematuria, coughs and schistosomiasis. The macerate is also an ingredient of a complicated technique for the treatment of bubonic plague[].
A decoction of the roots is used to promote healing of the umbilicus of the newborn, it is mainly applied externally, but a small amount is also placed in the baby's mouth[].

The branchlets (cladodes) are the main ingredient of a medicine to combat Guinea worm and of an ointment for hair growth[]. They are eaten to combat stitch[].
Applied externally, the branchlets are used as a wound medicine, to treat earache and eyesight troubles[].

The pounded branches, mixed with butter, are used as an ointment for the treatment of haemorrhoids[]. An embrocation is used against rheumatism and a hot water infusion to arrest diarrhoea[].

The branchlets, stems or roots are pounded, soaked in water and the infusion drunk 2 - 3 times a day for the treatment of mental disturbance[].

The seeds are swallowed to prevent eye diseases[].

Other Uses

The leaves are used in ointments by native women to stimulate the growth of hair[].

The wiry stems are used for preparing traps and snares for small animals, and for making cord[].

The woody stem parts are used for making pencils[]

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe. Pre-soak stored seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in containers in a lightly shaded position. It usually germinates in 3 - 6 weeks at 25°c[]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a sunny position until ready to plant out[]. The seed can be stored for long periods[].
Division as the plant comes into growth.

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