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{{SPlantbox
|genus=Asparagus
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Asparagus (the Greek name). Liliceae. Asparagus. Smilax (greenhouse). Asparagus Fern. A large genus of herbaceous perennials and tender woody shrubs and vines, grown mostly for ornamental habit and foliage, but one of them (A. officinalis) for food.
Plants provided with short underground rhizomes from which the aerial sts. arise in serial order: roots often tuberous, sometimes fleshy but long-cylindric as in A. officinalis: sts. varying from low herbs to stout woody vines 50 ft. or more long: Lvs. reduced to scale- like bracts usually with a basal spur, often spiny; 11'.- function performed by special sterile twigs, cladodes (phyllodia, cladophylls, i.e., If.-like branchlets) of determinate growth and of characteristic shape with each species (see Fig. 411): fls. usually axillary, or terminal, in 1-4's, sometimes umbellate, often racemose on special branches lacking the cladodes, small; perianth 6-parted; stamens 6, free, filament attached to base of perianth lobes; ovary 3-celled, stigma 3- paited (except in Section Kodiastigma), ovules 2-6 in locule: fr. a berry 1-, 3-, 6- or more seeded; seed globose or flat on one side, testa usually black, embryo straight, surrounded by a hard endosperm.—About 150 species, all native of the Old World, ranging from Siberia to Cape of Good Hope, usually from dry regions. Monogr. by Baker, Journ. Linn. Soc. 14 (1875); account of cult, species by Watson, G.C. III. 23:122, 147, 178.
This large genus is remarkable for its lack of functional leaves, whose place is taken by the leaf-like cladodes which are usually considered as leaves. The cladodes are usually borne in fascicles of three to forty in the axils of the leaf-scale; in A. stipulaceus the leaf-like cladode is solitary in the axils. 1 he woody members of the genus often have the base of the leaf- scale developed into a strong spine. In some groups the cladodes are spiny tipped. A. stipulaceus and its relatives (apparently not in cult.) have the side branches developed into thorns.
Most of the ornamentals of the genus will not stand frost, but some of the Asiatic forms are perfectly hardy except in the North. Members of this genus furnish the most satisfactory "green" for decorative purposes known to the trade, some of the forms rivaling the finest ferns in their delicate beauty. Their ability to hold up for several days without wilting makes the cut sprays of some of the species necessary in some forms of decorative work.
Nearly all the species are of easy culture and can be propagated readily by seed which is usually produced in abundance; also propagated by division and in some woody forms by cuttings.
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| name = ''Asparagus officinalis''
| name = ''Asparagus officinalis''
===Propagation===
===Propagation===
Seeds planted in the spring. Traditional varieties will produce seed, some varieties known as "all-male" have almost all male plants which produce no seed.
Seeds planted in the spring. Traditional varieties will produce seed, some varieties known as "all-male" have almost all male plants which produce no seed.
===Pests and diseases===
===Pests and diseases===
Popular cultivars include:
Popular cultivars include:
*'Martha Washington' - traditional type
*'Martha Washington' - traditional type
*'Jersey Giant' - "all-male" varieties which do not produce seeds, allowing for better crop production.
*'Jersey Giant' - "all-male" varieties which do not produce seeds, allowing for better crop production.
==Gallery==
==Gallery==
