Asparagus setaceus (PIER species info)

Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)

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Asparagus setaceus
(Kunth) Jessop, Liliaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands? yes

Threat only at high elevations? no

Risk assessment results:

Reject, score: 16 (Go to the risk assessment (Australia))
High risk, score: 13 (Go to the risk assessment (Pacific))

Common name(s): [more details]

English: asparagus fern, climbing asparagus fern, ferm asparagus, lace fern, lacy asparagus fern, ornamental asparagus, plumosa

French: asperge plumeuse

Maori (Cook Islands): remu

Spanish: creston

Habit: vine

Description: "Woody climber to ca 5 m. Roots fibrous. Cladodes numerous per axil, finely acicular, apiculate, 4-7 mm long, 0.5 mm wide; cladodes and lateral branches arranged in the same plane. Scale leaves spine-like but not indurated. Flowers single or paired, terminal on ultimate branches, ±pendent, 5-7 mm diameter, greenish white; pedicels 1-2.5 mm long, articulated at base or just above. Sepals and petals 3-4 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide. Stamens 2.5-3.5 mm long; filaments 2-3 mm long; anthers 0.5 mm long, yellow. Ovary globose, 2 mm diameter; style 0.5-1 mm long, trifid. Berry 4-5 mm diameter, black. Seed 1, 2.5-3.5 mm diameter." (Clifford and Conran, 1987).

Habitat/ecology: Commonly planted as an ornamental or for use in flower arrangements. Naturalizes in dry to moist forest.

Propagation: Seed. Fruits spread by birds. Older plants spread by means of long, slender rhizomes.

Native range: Southern Africa.

Presence:

Pacific

Country/Terr./St. &
Island group Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction? Reference &
Comments

Australia (Pacific offshore islands)
Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island introduced
Pickard, J. (1984) (p. 204)

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US)
Northern Mariana Islands Rota Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 100)

Cook Islands
Southern Cook Islands Mangaia Island McCormack, Gerald (2007)

Cook Islands
Southern Cook Islands Palmerston (Avarau) Island Sykes, Bill (year unknown)

Cook Islands
Southern Cook Islands Rarotonga Island cultivated
McCormack, Gerald (2007)

Ecuador (Galápagos Islands)
Santa Cruz Group Santa Cruz Island introduced
invasive
cultivated
Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)

Fiji
Fiji Islands Rotuma Island Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1991) (voucher ID: BISH 638023)
Taxon name on voucher: Asparagus setaceus (Kunth) Jessop

French Polynesia
Society Islands Huahine Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 65)

French Polynesia
Society Islands Raiatea (Havai) Island introduced
cultivated
Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 352)
Vouchers cited: Fosberg & Sachet 63224, Moore 577

French Polynesia
Society Islands Taha‘a Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 65)

French Polynesia
Society Islands Tahiti Island introduced
cultivated
Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 352)
Voucher cited: Grant 4336

French Polynesia
Tuamotu Archipelago Takapoto Atoll introduced
cultivated
Sachet, M-H. (1983) (p. 16)

Guam
Guam Island Guam Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 100)

Japan (offshore islands)
Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands introduced
Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)

Marshall Islands
Ratak Chain Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll introduced
cultivated
Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 41)

Nauru
Nauru Island Nauru Island introduced
cultivated
Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (p. 55)
Voucher cited: Hassall 169 (SUVA)

New Caledonia
Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands) Île Tiga introduced
cultivated
MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 93)
Vouchers cited: MacKee 45887 (cv. "Cupressoides")

New Caledonia
New Caledonia Archipelago Île Grande Terre introduced
cultivated
MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 93)
Vouchers cited: MacKee 18383, MacKee 41090 (cv. "Cupressoides"), MacKee (cv. "Pyramidalis")

Niue
Niue Niue Island introduced
cultivated
Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate (2004) (p. 10)

Tonga
Tonga Islands Tonga Islands introduced
invasive
Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (pp. 79-80)
"Occasional to frequent throughout Tonga".

Pacific Rim

Country/Terr./St. &
Island group Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction? Reference &
Comments

New Zealand
New Zealand New Zealand (country) introduced
invasive
cultivated
Healy, A. J./Edgar, E. (1980) (p. 52)
"N. Auckland City, escapes from gardens to a limited extent; Bethlehem, near Tauranga, well established in farm hedges"; voucher cited: A. E. Esler (CHR 274362)

Comments: A forest invader in Tonga, particularly noted on Lifuka/Foa and ‘Uiha (Ha‘apai group of islands), but reportedly present throughout the archipelago (Space & Flynn, 2001). A serious weed on Lord Howe Island (Clifford and Conran, 1987)

Additional information: Photos at University of Florida, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.
Photo and additional information at the Environment Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, web site of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

Additional online information about Asparagus setaceus is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Asparagus setaceus may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1991. Voucher specimen #BISH 638023 (McClatchey, W.C. 291).

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

Clifford, H. T./Conran, J. G. 1987. Protasparagus. In: Flora of Australia. Vol. 45, Hydatellaceae to Liliaceae. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Fosberg, F. R. 1997. Preliminary checklist of the flowering plants and ferns of the Society Islands. Ed. by David R. Stoddart. U. Cal. Berkeley.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1987. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian monocotyledonae. Micronesica 20:1-126.

Healy, A. J./Edgar, E. 1980. Flora of New Zealand, Volume III: Adventive cyperaceous, petalous & spathaceous monocotyledons. Government Printer, Wellington, New Zealand. 220 pp.

Kato, Hidetoshi. 2007. Herbarium records of Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Personal communication.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2007. Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage. On-line database.

Pickard, J. 1984. Exotic plants on Lord Howe Island: Distribution in space and time, 1853-1981. J. of Biogeography 11:181-208.

Sachet, M-H. 1983. Takapoto Atoll, Tuamotu Archipelago: terrestrial vegetation and flora. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 277. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 41 pp. + photos.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate. 2004. Report to the Government of Niue and the United Nations Development Programme: Invasive plant species on Niue following Cyclone Heta. UNDP NIU/98/G31 - Niue Enabling Activity. 80 pp.

Sykes, Bill. 0. Bill Sykes, pers. com.

Sykes, W. R. 1970. Contributions to the flora of Niue. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 200, Wellington. 321 pp.

Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. 1994. The flora of Nauru. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Atoll Research Bulletin 392:1-223.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Vander Velde, Nancy. 2003. The vascular plants of Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. Smithsonian Institution, Atoll Research Bulletin No. 503:1-141.

Welsh, S. L. 1998. Flora Societensis: A summary revision of the flowering plants of the Society Islands. E.P.S. Inc., Orem, Utah. 420 pp.

Whistler, W. A. 1990. Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands: The plants, their Maori names, and their uses. Allertonia 5(4):347-424.

Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. 1999. Botanical survey of the United States of America Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Islands. Prepared for Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education and the U. S. Army Environmental Center. 111 pp.

Yuncker, T. G. 1959. Plants of Tonga. Bishop Museum Bull. 220. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 343 pp.

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This page was created on 1 JAN 1999 and was last updated on 10 OCT 2006.

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Lord Howe Island	Lord Howe Island	introduced	Pickard, J. (1984) (p. 204)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Rota Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 100)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island		McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Palmerston (Avarau) Island		Sykes, Bill (year unknown)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Rotuma Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1991) (voucher ID: BISH 638023) Taxon name on voucher: Asparagus setaceus (Kunth) Jessop
French Polynesia Society Islands	Huahine Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 65)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced cultivated	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 352) Vouchers cited: Fosberg & Sachet 63224, Moore 577
French Polynesia Society Islands	Taha‘a Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 65)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 352) Voucher cited: Grant 4336
French Polynesia Tuamotu Archipelago	Takapoto Atoll	introduced cultivated	Sachet, M-H. (1983) (p. 16)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 100)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 41)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced cultivated	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (p. 55) Voucher cited: Hassall 169 (SUVA)
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Île Tiga	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 93) Vouchers cited: MacKee 45887 (cv. "Cupressoides")
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 93) Vouchers cited: MacKee 18383, MacKee 41090 (cv. "Cupressoides"), MacKee (cv. "Pyramidalis")
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate (2004) (p. 10)
Tonga Tonga Islands	Tonga Islands	introduced invasive	Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (pp. 79-80) "Occasional to frequent throughout Tonga".

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive cultivated	Healy, A. J./Edgar, E. (1980) (p. 52) "N. Auckland City, escapes from gardens to a limited extent; Bethlehem, near Tauranga, well established in farm hedges"; voucher cited: A. E. Esler (CHR 274362)