Asparagaceae FAMILY

Asparagus officinalis

Edibility

4/5

Medicinal

3/5

Safety & Hazards

Large quantities of the shoots can irritate the kidneys[ 20 Title Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Publication Author Riotte. L. Publisher Garden Way, Vermont, USA. Year 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0 Description Fairly good. , 62 Title A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Publication Author Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. Publisher Van Nostrand Reinhold Year 1982 ISBN 0442222009 Description Very readable. ]. The berries are mildly poisonous[ 163 Title Lilies and Related Plants. Publication Author RHS Lily Group. Publisher Year ISBN Description Lots of interesting snippets about plants in the family Liliaceae (in the old, broad sense) ].

Botanical Description

Asparagus officinalis is a herbaceous, perennial plant with arching stems growing up from large underground rhizomes. It can grow up to 120cm tall[ 352 Title KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder Publication Author Website http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/ Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Year 0 ISBN Description Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone. , 418 Title Ecocrop Publication Author Website http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available. ]. The plant is often cultivated on a commercial scale for its young shoots which are eaten in many countries of the world. The plant also has a wide range of traditional medicinal uses.

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate; tropical

Native RangeEurasia - Denmark to Spain, east to Ukraine and Greece, through western and central Asia to Afghanistan, western China and Mongolia; Northwest Africa

HabitatFertile and sandy soils by the seashore and along river banks[ 9 Title Edible and Medicinal Plants. Publication Author Launert. E. Publisher Hamlyn Year 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2 Description Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information. , 132 Title Fruits of the Earth. Publication Author Bianchini. F., Corbetta. F. and Pistoia. M. Publisher Year ISBN Description Lovely pictures, a very readable book. ].