Wild asparagus  (Asparagus prostratus)

Information authenticated by The National Trust:
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/ and by Tim Rich of the National Museums and Galleries of Wales.

• Endemic: a species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area.
• Perennial: plants that live for at least three seasons; after an initial period they produce flowers once a year.
• Rhizome: rhizomes are thickened, branching, creeping storage stems. Although most rhizomes grow laterally just along or slightly below the soil's surface, some grow several inches deep. Roots grow from the underside of the rhizome, and during the growing season new growth sprouts from buds along the top. A familiar rhizome is the ginger used in cooking.
• Subspecies: a different race of a species, which is geographically separated from other populations of that species.
• Vegetative reproduction: type of asexual reproduction (reproduction without recombination of genetic material) that results in the propagation of plants using only the vegetative tissues such as leaves or stems. The resulting plant is genetically identical to the original plant. A well-known example of this is the reproduction of strawberry plants from 'runners'.

1. Kay, Q.O.N., Davies, E.W. and Rich, T.C.G. (2001) Taxonomy of the western European endemic Asparagus prostratus (A. officinalis subsp. prostratus) (Asparagaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 137: 127 - 137.
2. Wigginton, M.J. (1999) British Red Data Books 1; Vascular Plants. 3rd Edition. JNCC, Peterborough.
3. Grigson, G. (1996) The Englishman’s Flora. Helicon Publishing Ltd., Oxford.
4. Mabey, R. (1996) Flora Britannica. Sinclair-Stevenson, London.
5. Rich, T.C.G., Bennallick, I.J., Cordrey, L., Kay, Q.O.N., Lockton, A.J. and Rich, L.K. (2002) Distribution and populations sizes of Asparagus prostatus Durhort, wild asparagus, in Britain. Watsonia, 24: 183 - 192.
6. UK BAP Species Action Plan (March, 2002)
   http://www.ukbap.org.uk/
7. Rich, T. (2002) Pers. comm.