Asparagus macowanii

This species was regionally assessed as Least Concern in South Africa (Foden and Potter 2005, Raimondo et al. 2009) as a result it is suspected that there are no major threats to this species. However, research should be undertaken to confirm this.

The genus Asparagus is included in Annex 1 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), which aims to guarantee sustainable agriculture and food security through the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, as well as to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use (FAO 2009).

This species is not found in the International Minor Leafy Vegetables Database (ECPGR 2007–2010), the National Plant Germplasm System (USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program 2014), or the Svalbard Global Seed Vault (SGSV Data Portal 2013). However, according to Botanical Garden Conservation International (BGCI 2013) this species has living collections in 11 botanical gardens worldwide, although the origin and location of the collections are not detailed in this resource (garden locations are undisclosed to protect rare and valuable plant species).

A. macowanii is also recorded in Kruger National Park in South Africa, and was regionally assessed as Least Concern in South Africa (Foden and Potter 2005, Raimondo et al. 2009). Passive conservation is presumed in this protected area, however in situ surveying to determine subpopulation trends and any need for active conservation would be useful for this species.