Asparagus setaceus

Common asparagus fern

Family: Asparagaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Common asparagus fern is a naturalized perennial found in southern California coastal urban canyons in San Diego at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from April to September, this plant produces small, delicate white flowers in terminal umbels with 1 to 4 nodding blooms. Growing as a climbing or sprawling woody vine with wiry stems up to 4 meters long, it develops fine, thin branchlets less than 1 millimeter wide. Its distinctive foliage features spurred leaf structures approximately 4 to 10 millimeters long, creating a feathery, intricate appearance. The plant produces distinctive purple-black fruits 4 to 5 millimeters in size, which develop after flowering.

Habitat: Disturbed places (sites of former gardens)

Bloom period: Apr-Sep

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: SCo (urban canyons, San Diego)

California counties: San Diego, Ventura

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.