戈壁天门冬 ge bi tian men dong

Asparagus angulofractus Iljin var. scabridus Kitagawa.

Subshrubs dioecious. Roots slender. Stems suberect, usually flexuous distally, 15--45 cm, rigid, ± covered with stripelike remains of whitish, hyaline periderm; branches strongly flexuous, slightly striate-ridged, sparsely cartilaginous denticulate. Cladodes in fascicles of 3--8, usually spreading horizontally or downward at an obtuse angle, 0.5--2.5 cm × ca. 1 mm, subterete, irregularly grooved, rather rigid. Leaf spur short, not spinescent. Inflorescences developing after cladodes. Flowers of both sexes solitary or paired; pedicel 2--4 mm. Male flowers: perianth campanulate, 5--7 mm; filaments adnate to perianth segments for ca. 1/2 their length. Female flowers slightly smaller than male ones. Berry red, 5--7 mm in diam., 3--5-seeded. Fl. May, fr. Jul--Oct.

Sandy wastelands, sands; 1600--2600 m. Gansu, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi [Mongolia].