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Asparagus officinalis L.

Asparagus officinalis L. ssp. officinalis

Asparagus, wild asparagus

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassLiliopsidaMonocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
SubclassLiliidaeIncludes lilies, orchids, and many others
OrderAsparagalesA diverse group that includes asparagus
FamilyAsparagaceaeAgaves, asparagus, hyacinths, and others
GenusAsparagusAncient Greek name for (duh) asparagus
SpeciesofficinalisSold as an herb, often applied to plants with real or supposed medicinal qualities

About plant names...

Many of us think of asparagus as those short stalks, sublimely delicious or awful-tasting, depending on who you ask. These young stalks are harvested after the plants become well-established, leaving behind some to grow to maturity and continue to the next season. Mature asparagus reaches up to 5' (1.5 m) in height, with multiply-branched light, feathery foliage. Asparagus is a native of Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia.

Asparagus officinalis (asparagus, wild asparagus)

From Thomé, Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm, Flora von Deutschland Österreich und der Schweiz., 1885.

Identification: Flowers are small and bell-shaped.[1] Foliage is delicate-looking and resembles soft needles at close range.

Edibility: Young shoots are delicious. (Don’t eat the berries though.)

There is a recipe for cooking asparagus in the oldest surviving book of recipes, Apicius’s third century AD De re coquinaria, Book III. It was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, who ate it fresh when in season and dried the vegetable for use in winter.[2]

Online References:

Asparagus officinalis at George and Audrey DeLange's Arizona wildflower site

Asparagus officinalis on Missouriplants.com

Asparagus officinalis on Wikipedia

Asparagus officinalis on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Asparagus officinalis on luirig.altervista.org

Asparagus officinalis on SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network

Asparagus officinalis (asparagus, wild asparagus)

8/7/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 24 × 16" (62 × 41 cm)

Asparagus officinalis (asparagus, wild asparagus)

10/22/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm)

1Pictures here

2From Wikipedia

Asparagus officinalis description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

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Asparagus officinalis (asparagus, wild asparagus)

8/1/2009 · Stan & Connie’s, Falmouth, Maine

Asparagus officinalis (asparagus, wild asparagus)

10/2/2010 · Route 209, Milford, Penn­syl­vania
≈ 31 × 21" (78 × 52 cm) ID is uncertain

Asparagus officinalis (asparagus, wild asparagus)

10/2/2010 · Route 209, Milford, Penn­syl­vania
≈ 31 × 21" (78 × 52 cm) ID is uncertain

Asparagus officinalis (asparagus, wild asparagus)

10/22/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm)

Asparagus officinalis (asparagus, wild asparagus)

9/25/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 15 × 10" (39 × 26 cm)

Asparagus officinalis (asparagus, wild asparagus)

10/22/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 4" (15 × 10 cm)

Asparagus officinalis (asparagus, wild asparagus)

8/7/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 15 × 10" (39 × 26 cm)

Range:

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