Asparagus rigidus Jessop

Stems erect, slightly zigzag, woody, ridged, glabrous, often green, up to 60 cm long. Branches, solitary, slightly zigzagging, more strongly ridged than the stems, very short, much branched, more or less ascending, up to about 8 cm long; the final branches not forming specialised branchlets. Cladodes strongly 3-angled, up to 3-nate laterally and about 6-nate terminally, usually up to about 10 cm long and 0.5-0.9 mm thick, more or less straight, with a terete, brown mucro; the margins of the cladodes frequently bearing a minutely serrated ridge of enlarged cells. Spines absent or up to 4 mm long, reflexed. Peduncles borne on the branches, solitary or paired, about 3 mm long. Pedicels usually 2-to 4-nate and terminal but often lateral on the peduncles, articulated near the middle. Perianth segments oblong-obovate, 2-3 mm long, entire. Stamens nearly as long as the perianth segments; anthers about 0.5 mm long. Style shortly divided, about 1 mm long; ovary about 1 mm long. Fruit 1-seeded, about 5 mm diameter.