Asparagus fern (Asparagus virgatus)

Also known as: broom asparagus

Asparagus fern is a spineless herb or small shrub with orange berries. It can outcompete native ground cover and understorey plants.

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How does this weed affect you?

Asparagus fern:

• competes with native ground cover and understorey plants
• prevents other species from germinating and establishing
• can grow into very large, dense infestations.

It has the potential to invade a wide range of coastal and sub-coastal plant communities in areas north of Sydney.

What does it look like?

Asparagus fern is a, erect herb, climber or shrub usually 40-80 cm tall.

Leaf-like cladodes:

Asparagus plants have modified stems called cladodes that look like leaves. The cladodes are:

• dark green
• soft and hairless
• 3–15 mm long and 0.5-1.0 mm wide
• cylindrical and elongated
• arranged in a spiral of 3-6 at each node along the stem
• usually present year-round.

Flowers are:

• greenish-white with 6 petals
• up to 12 mm long and 8 mm in diameter
• solitary and grow at the point where the cladodes join the stem
• present mostly in spring and summer.

Fruit are:

•  oval shaped berries with a single seed 
• bright orange when mature
• 4-6 mm in diameter
• present year round.

Stems are:

• upright
• spineless
• wiry.

Roots:

• are fibrous and extensive
• are attached to rhizomes
• do not have tubers.

Similar looking plants

Asparagus fern looks similar to other asparagus weeds including:

• Snakefeather (Asparagus scandens), which also has orange berries when mature, but its flowers are white to pinkish. It is a climber and can reach up to 3 m high and it has flat cladodes with a distinct midrib.
• Edible asparagus (Asparagus officinalis), which is a taller plant (up to 1.5 m) with larger red berries. Its foliage dies back annually.

Where is it found?

In NSW, there are infestations in coastal regions: North Coast, Hunter, Greater Sydney and the South East. Isolated plants have been found in other regions.

Asparagus fern is native to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It was introduced to Australia as an ornamental plant and is used in floral arrangements.

What type of environment does it grow in?

Asparagus fern prefers shady, well-drained locations. It can grow in full sun or under other plants with more than 80% canopy cover.

Asparagus fern grows in:

• riparian areas
• forests, especially along the edges
• disturbed sites
• coastal and sub-coastal bushland.

Maps and records

• Recorded presence of Asparagus fern during property inspections (Map: Biosecurity Information System - Weeds, 2017-2026)
  These records are made by authorised officers during property inspections under the Biosecurity Act 2015. Officers record the presence of priority weeds in their council area and provide this to the NSW Department of Primary Industries. Records reflect the presence of the weed on the date of inspection.
  
  

How does it spread?

By seed

Asparagus fern starts fruiting when plants are between 18 months and two years old. Most of the seeds sprout within the first year but a small number can remain viable in the soil for up to 3 years.  

Birds and animals eat the fruit and spread the seed. Fruit is also spread by water and people dumping garden waste.

By plant parts

Asparagus fern can grow from fragments of rhizomes. Rhizomes can be spread by people dumping garden waste.

References

Identic and Lucid (2016). Weeds of Australia: Asparagus Fern - Asparagus virgatus. Retrieved 09/09/2025 from: https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/asparagus_virgatus.htm

Office of Environment and Heritage (2013) Asparagus weeds management manual: current management and control options for asparagus weeds (Asparagus spp.) in Australia. Office of Environment and Heritage (NSW)

PlantNET (The NSW Plant Information Network System). Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney. Retrieved 23 September 2025 from: https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Asparagus~virgatus

Vivian-Smith, G. E., & Gosper, C. R. (2010). Comparative seed and dispersal ecology of three exotic subtropical Asparagus species. Invasive Plant Science and Management, 3(1), 93-103.

More information

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Control

Successful weed control relies on follow up after the initial efforts. This means looking for and killing regrowth or new seedlings. Using a combination of control methods is usually more successful. To manage asparagus fern check sites within 18 months so that new plants have not started producing fruit.

Physical removal

By hand

Hand weed seedlings in small-to-medium infestations. Try to remove the entire root system though this can be difficult as the rhizomes can spread under rocks, logs, or between the roots of other vegetation. Hand weeding is best done in autumn and winter, before flowering.

Slashing

Slashing or cutting the stems and leaves can limit fruiting and create access for other control methods. It also encourages new growth on the ground, which can be easier to treat with herbicides. Slash large infestations about 6 months before spraying with herbicide. Do not slash fruiting plants.

Slashing can drain the plant of energy, limit fruit and seed production and slow growth but will not kill plants. Slashing should be combined with other control methods for effective, long-term control.

Disposal

Asparagus fern may be composted but compost material should not contain any fruit. Regular turning and covering the plants in black plastic can help the compost process. Check for any regrowth from crowns and spot spray the new foliage.

Contact your local council for further advice on disposal.

Chemical control

Spot spraying

Spray plants when they are actively growing. Follow-up may be needed because the thin cladodes provide little surface area for herbicide uptake.

Cut stump (stems) method

If asparagus fern is growing close to desirable plants, then the cut stump method reduces the risk of herbicides damaging other plants. Cut stems and apply herbicide to the part still attached to the ground within 15 seconds of cutting. 

Herbicide options

See Using herbicides for more information.

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PERMIT 9907 Expires 31/03/2030
Fluroxypyr 333 g/L (Starane™ Advanced)
Rate: 300 to 600 mL per 100 L of water
Comments: Spot spray application
Withholding period: Do not graze failed crops and treated pastures or cut for stock food for 7 days after application. See label for more information.
Herbicide group: 4 (previously group I), Disruptors of plant cell growth (Auxin mimics)
Resistance risk: Moderate

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PERMIT 9907 Expires 31/03/2030
Glyphosate 360 g/L (Various products)
Rate: 200 mL per 10 L of water
Comments: Spot spray application, best done between flowering and berries forming.
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: 9 (previously group M), Inhibition of 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3 phosphate synthase (EPSP inhibition)
Resistance risk: Moderate

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PERMIT 9907 Expires 31/03/2030
Glyphosate 360 g/L (Various products)
Rate: 1 part glyphosate to 1.5 parts water
Comments: Cut stump / stem scrape application
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: 9 (previously group M), Inhibition of 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3 phosphate synthase (EPSP inhibition)
Resistance risk: Moderate

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PERMIT 9907 Expires 31/03/2030
Metsulfuron-methyl 600 g/kg (Various products)
Rate: 10-20 g per 100 L of water plus surfactant.
Comments: Spot spray application, best done between flowering and berry formation.
Withholding period: Nil (recommended not to graze for 7 days before treatment and for 7 days after treatment to allow adequate chemical uptake in target weeds).
Herbicide group: 2 (previously group B), Inhibition of acetolactate and/or acetohydroxyacid synthase (ALS, AHAS inhibitors)
Resistance risk: High

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Picloram 44.7 g/L + Aminopyralid 4.47 g/L (Vigilant II ®)
Rate: Undiluted
Comments: Rhizome application: prune the shoots to get access to the rhizome apply a 3-5 mm layer of gel across the cut surface on the rhizome. See label for further critical comments.
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: 4 (previously group I), Disruptors of plant cell growth (Auxin mimics)
Resistance risk: Moderate

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Biosecurity duty

The content provided here is for information purposes only and is taken from the NSW Biosecurity Act 2015 and its subordinate legislation, and the Regional Strategic Weed Management Plans (published by each Local Land Services region in NSW). It describes the state and regional priorities for weeds in New South Wales, Australia.

Area	Duty
All of NSW	General Biosecurity Duty All pest plants are regulated with a general biosecurity duty to prevent, eliminate or minimise any biosecurity risk they may pose. Any person who deals with any plant, who knows (or ought to know) of any biosecurity risk, has a duty to ensure the risk is prevented, eliminated or minimised, so far as is reasonably practicable.
Greater Sydney Central Coast Council area is classified as the core infestation area. An exclusion zone is established for the rest of the region.	Regional Recommended Measure* (for Regional Priority - Containment) Whole of region: Land managers should mitigate the risk of the plant being introduced to their land. Within exclusion zone: Land managers should eradicate the plant from the land and keep the land free of the plant. A person should not deal with the plant, where dealings include but are not limited to buying, selling, growing, moving, carrying or releasing the plant. Notify local control authority if found. Within core infestation area: Land managers should mitigate spread of the plant from their land. A person should not buy, sell, move, carry or release the plant into the environment.
Hunter An exclusion zone is established for all land in the region, except the core infestation which includes parts of: MidCoast Local Government Area.	Regional Recommended Measure* (for Regional Priority - Containment) Entire Hunter Local Land Services region: Land managers should mitigate the risk of the plant being introduced to their land. Exclusion zone: Notify local control authority if found. Land managers should eradicate the plant from the land and keep the land free of the plant. A person should not deal with the plant, where dealings include but are not limited to buying, selling, growing, moving, carrying or releasing the plant. Core infestation: Land managers should mitigate spread of the plant from their land. A person should not buy, sell, move, carry or release the plant into the environment. Land managers should reduce the impact of the plant on assets of high economic, environmental and/or social value.
North Coast Exclusion (eradication) zone: Bellingen Shire LGA, Clarence Valley LGA, Coffs Harbour City LGA, Kempsey Shire LGA, Lord Howe Island. Core infestation (containment) zone: Ballina Shire LGA, , Byron Shire LGA, Kyogle Shire LGA, Lismore City LGA, Nambucca Valley LGA, Port Macquarie-Hastings LGA, Richmond Valley LGA, Tweed Shire LGA.	Regional Recommended Measure* (for Regional Priority - Containment) Whole of region: Land managers should mitigate the risk of the plant being introduced to their land. A person should not buy, sell, move, carry or release the plant into the environment. Exclusion zone: Notify local control authority if found. Land managers should eradicate the plant from the land and keep the land free of the plant. Core infestation: Land managers should mitigate spread of the plant from their land. Land managers should reduce the impact of the plant on assets of high economic, environmental and/or social value.
	*To see the Regional Strategic Weeds Management Plans containing demonstrated outcomes that fulfil the general biosecurity duty for this weed click here

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Reviewed 2025