Species name :

Asparagus stipularisForrsk.
Published in Fl. Aegypt. 72 (1775)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Asparagus horridus L.

Full list of synonyms : [Euro+Med] [WFO] [IPNI] [POWO] [Catalogue of Life] [Worldplants.de]

Plant Family :

Asparagaceae Juss. (The Asparagus Family) Previously included in Liliaceae
33 species from the Asparagaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands.

English name(s) :

Grey Asparagus

Maltese name(s) :

Spraġġ griż

Status for Malta :

Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man

Frequency :

Very Common     Common    Frequent     Scarce     Rare    Very rare    Extinct

Growth form :

Germination type [info]: Monocotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Nano-Phanerophyte ( small trees to large shrubs, usually shorter than 5 m )

Legal Protection :

Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025)

Red List (1989) :

Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands

Flowering Time :

February – April

Colour of Flowers:

Yellow or Cream

Toxicity:

Not particularly toxic

Name Derivation :

Asparagus: An old Greek name given for peculiar plants with needle-like leaves (cladodes). (Greek origin)

stipularis: bearing stipules (leaves subtending the main leaves). (Latin origin)

Planting in rural areas :

Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines

Remarks :

This is a rather rare plant found only at the margin of the south coastal cliffs of Gozo. This species was doubtfully recorded in Malta by Borg in his flora (published in 1927) as Asparagus aphyllus subsp. horridus from mainland Malta, but these records are somewhat doubtful, possibly nothing more than atypical forms of the common Asparagus aphyllus. However, typical specimens of A. horridus (syn: A. stipularis Forsk.) were first rediscoved, or perhaps, first recorded from Gozo by Mr. Sdravko Vesselinov Lalov and later by Stephen Mifsud in 2007. Numerous specimens occur only from coastal cliffs between Wardija point to Ta'Cenc.