Plants in Israel: Asparagus horridus

Asparagus horridus, Asparagus broussonetii, Asparagus stipularis,
Hebrew: אספרג ארוך-עלים, Arabic: شعيؾ -٘لايوْ

Scientific name:   Asparagus horridus L.
Synonym name:   Asparagus broussonetii Jacq., Asparagus stipularis Forssk.
Hebrew name:   אספרג ארוך-עלים
Arabic vernacular name:   شعيؾ-٘لاي
Family:   Liliaceae, שושניים


Life form:   Geophyte
Spinescence:   Stems
Stems:   Woody stems to 60cm
Leaves:   Alternate, smooth to papillose ridges leaf like cladodes, solitary or in facscicles of 2-3, strongly spiny
Flowers:   Cream, yellow
Fruits / pods:   Berry 5.5-8mm, with 1-4 seeds
Flowering Period:   March, April, May
Habitat:   Light soils
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts
Chorotype:   Med – Saharo-Arabian
Summer shedding:   Perennating


Derivation of the botanical name:

Asparagus; an ancient Greek name for the plant.

horridus, sticking out, prickly, rough, bristly.
The Hebrew word: אספרג, asparag, transliteration from Greek asparagus

  • The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
  • The standard author abbreviation Jacq. is used to indicate Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin (1727–1817), a Dutch scientist who studied medicine, chemistry and botany.
  • The standard author abbreviation Forssk. is used to indicate Peter Forsskål (1732 – 1763), a Swedish explorer, orientalist and naturalist.