Asparagus-Fern, and the Plumosus Rebellion

Asparagus setaceus (and related species)

Asparagaceae

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To get the ball rolling, let’s make one thing perfectly clear: Asparagus-Fern (Asparagus setaceus) is not a fern.  It merely has a misleading superficial resemblance to ferns, and the plant world is loaded with such confusing misnomers.  It is, however, truly an Asparagus related to dinner-table Asparagus officinalis, although inedible and probably toxic.

Asparagus-fern is a non-native garden escape with a big historical footprint in northern Palm Beach County.  Also escaped from horticulture are the similar “Sprenger’s Asparagus-Fern” (Asparagus sprengeri) and the “Foxtail-Fern,” usually designated Asparagus densiflorus ‘Myers’.   The boring nomenclature of these ornamental Asparagus representatives is inconsistent.  I’m not interested in sorting out the fine points of all that.  The good stuff is the tie-in with local political strife, so let’s jump to it.

Foxtail “Fern”

Even if you have not found it trespassing in a natural area, you know Asparagus-fern from cut flower arrangements as the stiff durable ferny stuff in a supporting role to the pretty posies.   Florists still use a lot of it.  A whole lot—enough to be a minor industry, where today’s plant is often known as “Plumosus” or “Plumosa.”  Remember that—it is important.

“Plumosus” jutting forth from the left, right, and bottom of the boquet.

Now turn to the Town of Jupiter, Florida, where I live.   If you are a local resident you may know Jupiter as a boring bedroom community of commuters, retirees (such as me), golfers,  a pleasant beach, and big box stores.   But Jupiter has some skeletons in its closet, as documented by the article series, “History: Town of Jupiter,” largely by Kevin Hemstock and originally published in the Jupiter Courier, now accessible through the Town’s web site.  Most of the history outlined in today’s blog comes from those articles, largely dating to ca. 2000.

What is surprising about past Jupiter?  Among other things, it was a funnel for illegal booze arriving on an industrial scale from the Bahamas during Prohibition.   It also in the pre-WWII era had an infamous speed trap shaking down northern tourists, the “take” reportedly funding ¾ of the municipal budget on top of ad hoc bribes and confiscations. As much fun as it would be to explore the dark underbelly of Jupiter,  we better remember this is a botanical blog.   A botanical Jupiter secret is that in between the two World Wars Asparagus setaceus (‘Plumosus’) sparked a small revolution.  Growing ‘Plumosus’ was a serious  industry with at least 30 Jupiter producers tending the “fern” under massive lath sheds,  some covering 6-9 acres.   Jupiter residents will recognize such still-resonant surnames as Carlin and Pennock among the growers.    The plants were packed on ice and expedited by train to florists in northern cities from Detroit to NY.

The big Plumosus industry was the catalyst for a tax revolt resulting in the birth of a whole new city.  For reasons to be explained in a moment, Plumosus City seceded from Jupiter and occupied most of present-day Jupiter.    If you live around here, you  can picture these rough boundaries:  Loxahatchee River, Frederick Small Rd., the RR (more or less ?), and Central Blvd.   To repeat:  most of modern Jupiter.  Here is what went down:

Sprengers Asparagus-Fern and cigarette butts

The “Roaring 20s” in Florida was a fun-fest of wild development, unbridled expansion, real estate speculation, and many failed projects. (My paternal grandparents moved to Florida in the 20s after job trouble in Iowa.)   Local boosters got fancy ideas for big-time Jupiter development, which looked great on paper but required a whole lotta speculative funding, that is, taxation (to supplement that speed trap revenue and presumed municipal contributions from the civic-minded booze shippers).   HOWEVER:  The prominent Plumosus growers had contrary ideas.  Having land and income, they discovered a big tax target on their backs. The growers had no interest in underwriting corrupt politicians’ questionable self-serving schemes.  So they withdrew from Jupiter, incorporating Plumosus City in 1929.  

Plumosus—how many crummy little cultivated species have birthed their own city?

As the Roaring 20s gave way to the dreary 30s,  high-falutin development schemes and Plumosus growing both declined in Jupiter.  [Note : plenty of development eventually came to pass.] Why the decline back in the 30s? Let’s see: The Depression, hurricanes, world warfare, changing land values, and the pestilence you get when cultivating a monoculture.   Can you believe it…Cicadas helped ruin Asparagus-fern growing.  Plumosus City lived on as a nominal municipality until the 1950s when the Florida Legislature lumped most of it back into Jupiter. The last long-abandoned fern shed was torn down in the 1960s, and ‘Plumosus City’ haunted old deeds, surveys, and official documents until at least the 70s.

Three take home lessons.  1.  Next time you encounter an “Asparagus Fern” in a natural area, broaden the grumble from invasive exotics to tourist shakedowns and overreach by corrupt politicians spending other peoples’ money on dubious schemes.   2.  Vive la revolution!  3. Eat your Asparagus.