Scientific Name:
Asparagus officinalis
Pronunciation:
ah-SPAIR-ah-gus oh-fiss-ih-NAH-liss
Common Name:
asparagus
Family Name:
Asparagaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial
Key ID Features:
"Leaves" are flexible needle-like cladodes (modified stems), 2-3cm long x <0.5mm wide, in the axils of tan coloured scale leaves; flowers greenish-white to yellowish, bell shaped, arising at nodes in spring, about 5mm long; berries on female plants in late summer.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Round
Texture:
Fine
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
1.0 - 1.5m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Europe (eastern Mediterranean)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Medicinal plant, Urban agriculture
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Dissected
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Compound Leaf:
Bipinnate
Shapes:
Acicular
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Truncate
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered
Flower Morphology:
Dioecious plant
Number Of Petals:
6
Corolla Shape:
Campanulate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, White, Green
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun
Additional Info:
Six tepals
Fruit Type:
Berry (true)
Fruit Colour:
Red
Fruiting Time:
Aug, Sep
Additional Info:
6-15mm long; poisonous
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes, Tuberous roots, Cladodes the
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Rabbit resistant, Drought tolerant)
Course(s):
- HORT 1155
Location(s):
- (CGW) Community Garden West
- (FEA) Field lab Equipment Area