Asparagaceae Juss.

Perennial scandent or erect shrubs or subshrubs, branching; rhizomes sympodial from where the branches are growing; roots often swollen and fusiform. Spines present or absent; when present these are formed usually from the reduced leaves, occasionally from branches. Leaves normally reduced and scale-like, the assimilating function taken by modified green branches (cladodes); in some genera the branches are transformed into flattened, leaf-like cladodes (phylloclades). Cladodes solitary or fascicled, subulate, angled or linear. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, solitary, fascicled or assembled in racemes or “ umbels”. Flowers unisexual or bisexual, actinomorphic, small, erect or pendulous. Perianth with 6 tepals in two series, all similar in shape, free or fused at the base, white, cream, yellow or green. Stamens 6, in two series, fused to the perianth segments, present both in unisexual and bisexual flowers, non-functional in female unisexual flowers; filaments free from each other, anthers introrse, dorsifixed; pollen grains sulcate. Pistil with 3 carpels united to form a 2– 3-locular ovary with 1– 12 ovules in each locule; placentation axile; style short with capitate or lobed stigma. Fruit a globose berry with 1– 2(– 3) seeds. Seeds black, globose or truncate on one side, convex on the other