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   19 Mar 2024      ()
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Asparagus officinalis   (Wild Asparagus)


Asparagus officinalis  (ASPARAGACEAE.) 
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.

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Profile Date Jan-2008 (taxon update: none)
Citation for this page Mifsud, S. (2022). Asparagus officinalis - datasheet created on Jan-2008. Retrieved from MaltaWildPlants.com on 19-Mar-2024

Nomenclature and Basic Information

Species name :

Asparagus officinalisL.
Published in Sp. Pl. 313 (1753)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Asparagus sativus Mill.
Full list of synonyms : [Euro+Med] [PlantList] [IPNI] [POWO] [Catalogue of Life] [Worldplants.de]

Plant Family :

Asparagaceae Juss. (=Liliaceae) (The Asparagus Family)
33 species from the Asparagaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands.

English name(s) :

Wild Asparagus, Garden Asparagus

Maltese name(s) :

Spraġġ

Status for Malta :

Cultivated species. Introduced plants cultivated for agricultural or horticultural purposes but sometimes can be occassionaly found as an escapee close to the site of their original cultivation.

Frequency :

Data not available - casual or short-lived in the wild from accidental garden or agriculture escape

Growth form :

Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: GEOPHYTE ( bearing underground bulbs, rhizomes, stolons, etc. )
Germination [info]: Monocotyledon

Legal Protection :

Not legally protected till the last update of this website (2/Mar/2022)

Red List (1989) :

Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands

Flowering Time :

April – June

Colour of Flowers:

White, Cream or Inconspicuous

Toxicity:

May cause allergic reactions or irritation in contact with the skin or mucous membranes

Name Derivation :

Asparagus: An old Greek name given for peculiar plants with needle-like leaves (cladodes). (Greek origin )
officinalis: Commercially or 'officially' used and sold in shops for medicinal or healing applications. This epithet was given in the past to plants with well-known medicinal properties. (Latin origin )

Planting in rural areas :

Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines


Description, Habitat and Distribution
Habitat in Europe: widely cultivated as a vegetable and naturalized within its native range and further north
Preferred habitat in Malta: Ornamental plant often found in gardens and parks. Seldom seen as a casual escapee from dumped material or close to site of cultivation
Botanical Description: Herbaceous. Stem and branches smooth. Spur (0.5-)1-3(-4) mm. Cladodes in fascicles of 4-15(-25), somewhat flattened to filiform, usually appressed. Nodes with (1-)2(-3) flowers. Perianth-segments (4-)4.5-6.5(-10) mm. Berry 6-10 mm, red, with (1-)2-4(-6) seeds.
Distributional range: Most of Europe, northwards to S.E. Ireland and S. Denmark

Distributional map in Europe
and the Mediterranean region (2018):
Occurrences in Europe.
(from Flora Europaea pre year 1993):
Doubtful inAlbania, Austria and Liechtenstein, Belgium, Britain (excl. Northern Ireland and Channel islands), Bulgaria, Corse, Czeck Republic and Slovakia, Denmark, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Germany, Greece, Ireland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Hungary, Italy (excl. Sicily and Sardignia), ex-Jugoslavia, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Russia and former USSR, Sicily and/or Malta, Sweden, Turkey (European part), Introduced in  Finland, Norway, Russia and former USSR, Sardinia
Occurrences in Europe and the Mediterranean region.
(from Euro+Med Checklist, 2019)
  Country codes  
Ag Au Be Br Bu By Co Cz Da Ga Ge Hb He Ho Hs Hu Lu Ma Po Rf(C CS S) Si Tcs Tn Tu(A E) Uk(K U) [Bt Fe No Rf(N NW) Sa Su]

Links & Further literature (0 papers)

Google Web

Google Images

Google Scholar

Research Gate

Wikipedia

JSTOR

GBIF

Med Checklist

Cat. of Life

EoL

IPNI

World Flora Online

Plants of the World Online

Vienna Virt. Herb.

RBGE Herbarium

KEW Herbarium

MNHN

Arkive

IUCN

CABI
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.

Species Images (6 images)
   Asparagus officinalis   -   Image Code: SPGOF-0.
   Asparagus officinalis   -   Image Code: SPGOF-1.
   Asparagus officinalis   -   Image Code: SPGOF-2.
   Asparagus officinalis   -   Image Code: SPGOF-3.
   Asparagus officinalis   -   Image Code: SPGOF-4.
   Asparagus officinalis   -   Image Code: SPGOF-5.

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