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Asparagus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Asparagoideae.^[2] It comprises up to 300 species. Most are evergreen long-lived perennial plants growing from the understory as lianas, bushes or climbing plants. The best-known species is the edible Asparagus officinalis, commonly referred to as just asparagus. Some other members of the genus, such as Asparagus densiflorus, are grown as ornamental plants.

Ecology

The genus includes a variety of living forms, occurring from rainforest to semi-desert habitats; many are climbing plants. Most are dispersed by birds.

Ornamental species such as Asparagus plumosus, Asparagus aethiopicus, Asparagus setaceus, and Asparagus virgatus are finely branched and are misleadingly known as "asparagus fern".

In the Macaronesian Islands, several species (such as Asparagus umbellatus and Asparagus scoparius) grow in moist laurel forest habitat, and preserve the original form of a leafy vine. In the drier Mediterranean climate the asparagus genus evolved in the Tertiary into thorny, drought-adapted species. Root tubers are storage organs developed by Asparagus species and are a valuable source of moisture and nutrition for species growing under drought conditions.^[3]

Many species, particularly from Africa, were once included in separate genera such as Protasparagus and Myrsiphyllum. However, partly in response to the implications of the discovery of new species, those genera have been reunited under Asparagus.^[4] Species in this genus vary in their appearance, from unarmed herbs to wiry, woody climbers with formidable hooked spines that earn them vernacular names such as "cat thorn" and "wag 'n bietjie" (literally "wait a bit").^[5] Most species have photosynthetic flattened stems, called phylloclades, instead of true leaves. Asparagus officinalis, Asparagus schoberioides, and Asparagus cochinchinensis are dioecious species, with male and female flowers on separate plants.

Selected species

As of September 2014, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families accepts 212 species of Asparagus, including:^[6]

Pests and diseases

• Asparagus beetle (Crioceris asparagi)
• Spotted asparagus beetle (Crioceris duodecimpunctata)
• Asparagus miner (Ophiomyia simplex), a leaf-mining fly
• Asparagus fern caterpillar, also known as beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua).
• Asparagus fly (Platyparaea poeciloptera), a fruit fly
• Fusarium root and crown rot, caused by two species of fungi, Fusarium monoliforme and Fusarium oxysporium asparagi
• Asparagus rust, caused by the fungus Puccinia asparagi
• Botrytis blight, caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea
• The larvae of some Lepidoptera species have been recorded feeding on Asparagus. These include Coleophora lineapulvella, ghost moth, the nutmeg, small fan-footed wave, and turnip moth

Invasive species

A. asparagoides, known as bridal creeper, is a problematic weed in southern Australia.^[10][11]

Asparagus asparagoides, A. scandens and A. setaceus are considered potentially destructive in California, growing as the result of escaped seeds; all can still be purchased at major and local garden centers. All three have the ability to completely overtake other, unrelated plants in their immediate surroundings, often climbing up the larger ones and strangling them, eventually cutting off the plant's flow of energy and nutrients. Birds are attracted to the red berries after blooming, thus transporting their seeds.

Asparagus asparagoides, A. aethiopicus (under the name A. densiflorus) and A. scandens are listed on the New Zealand National Pest Plant Accord since they are invasive plants.

A. setaceus is officially recognized as an invasive species in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.^[12]

Gallery

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  Asparagus acutifolius

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  Asparagus aethiopicus

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  Asparagus asparagoides

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  Asparagus densiflorus

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  Asparagus falcatus

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  Asparagus fallax

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  Asparagus officinalis

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  Asparagus setaceus

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  Asparagus stipularis

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  Asparagus tenuifolius

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  Asparagus umbellatus

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  Asparagus verticillatus

References