Asparagus filicinus var. giraldii C. H. Wright; A. filicinus var. megaphyllus F. T. Wang & T. Tang; A. qinghaiensis Y. Wan.

Herbs dioecious. Stems erect, unarmed. Rootstock a short rhizome with a cluster of fusiform roots; roots swollen at base. Stems much branched, 50--70 cm, subsmooth; branches generally striate-ridged, ridges sometimes slightly cartilaginous denticulate. Cladodes in fascicles of 5--8, linear, falcate, 3--15 × 0.8--2 mm, flat, midvein distinct. Leaf spur short, not spinescent. Inflorescences developing with cladodes or very soon afterward. Flowers of both sexes solitary or paired; pedicel 1--2 cm, articulate near middle. Male flowers: perianth pale green or sometimes tinged with pale purple, campanulate, ca. 2.5 mm; filaments free; anthers ovate, ca. 8 mm. Berry deep green, 5--6 mm in diam., 2- or 3- seeded. Fl. May--Jun, fr. Jul--Aug. 2 n = 18*, 20.

Forests, thickets, shady and moist places along valleys; 1200--3000 m. Gansu, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Thailand].