Shrubs, sprawling or scrambling; roots fibrous and tuberous. Stems to 2 m, wiry, branches numerous, finely ridged; cladophylls solitary or in fascicles of 3 or more per node, linear, flattened, straight or curved, 8-22 × 2 mm, with single prominent vein. Leaves membranous, 1-2 mm; blade diamond-shaped, attached in middle, tapering to slender apex. Inflorescences in axillary racemes, 5-9(-17)-flowered. Flowers bisexual; perianth rotate to campanulate; tepals white to pale pink, 3-4 × 1.5-2 mm; pedicel 5-8 mm, jointed 2-3 mm above base. Berries red, 5-8 mm. Seed 1. 2n = 40, 60.

Flowering spring--summer. Waste places, abandoned gardens; 0--100 m; introduced; Fla.; s Africa.

The name Asparagus densiflorus (Kunth) Jessop (Asparagopsis densiflora Kunth) has been misapplied to this species (P. S. Green 1986; W. S. Judd 2001). Asparagus aethiopicus cv. `Sprengeri´ is the most common of the asparagus-fern cultivars.