Scrambling herb to c. 2 m high (usually less), with a short, branching rhizome producing tubers. Cladodes flattened, linear, slightly arcuate, mostly three per bract/node, sometimes 1 per node on short lateral shoots, 10–25 mm long, 1.5–2.0 mm wide. Flowers bisexual, 4–5 mm wide, white; stamens shorter than the perianth; ovary 0.5–1 mm long. Berry globular, c. 8 mm diam, red. Seeds 1–few, 4–5 mm long.
VVP, GipP, HSF. Native to South Africa, widely cultivated in Australia, naturalised in Victoria.
The form naturalised in Victoria is of the ‘Sprengeri’ group of cultivars. Another cultivar, ‘Myersii’, occurs in New South Wales; it has erect, densely foliose ('foxtail') stems to c. 60 cm high, unbranched above the base. It is also grown in Victoria as an ornamental, but is claimed to have low levels of seed production and lower tendency to become naturalised.
