Wild asparagus  (Asparagus prostratus)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Description

This plant is our native asparagus species (3) and is endemic to Western Europe (1). Recent evidence indicates that wild asparagus is a separate species to garden asparagus (Asparagus officinalis spp. officinalis) and not a subspecies (Asparagus officinalis ssp. prostratus) as previously thought (1). The stems grow prostrately (4) and have needle-like leaves, which reach 16 (exceptionally 24) mm long. The flowers are small and green (5), and produce bright red berries (2).

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