Editing Asparagus (section)

== Description ==
[[File:Asparagus officinalis 2.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|left|Adult plant with fruits]]
Asparagus is an [[herbaceous]], [[perennial plant]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2: Vegetables|publisher=PROTA Foundation, Wageningen; Backhuys, Leiden; CTA, Wageningen|year=2004|editor1-last=Grubben|editor1-first=G.J.H.|editor2-last=Denton|editor2-first=O.A.}}</ref> growing typically to {{convert|100–150|cm|ft|sigfig=1|abbr=off}} tall, with stout stems with much-branched, feathery foliage. It has been known to grow as long as {{Convert|3.5|m}}.<ref>{{cite web | title=Longest asparagus | publisher=Guinness World Records | date=2 October 2004| url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-asparagus}}</ref> The 'leaves' are needle-like [[cladode]]s ([[Aerial stem modification|modified stems]]) in the [[Leaf#Morphology|axils]] of scale leaves; they are {{convert|6|–|32|mm|in|frac=32|abbr=off}} long and {{convert|1|mm|in|frac=32|abbr=on}} broad, and clustered in fours, up to 15, together, in a rose-like shape.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Encyclopedia of Diderot & d'Alembert|last=Diderot|first=D.|date=2009|chapter=Asparagus|access-date=1 April 2015|orig-year=1772|chapter-url=http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=did;cc=did;rgn=main;view=text;idno=did2222.0001.298|via=Collaborative Translation Project, University of Michigan}}</ref> The root system, often referred to as a 'crown', is [[adventitious]]; the root type is [[Fascicle (botany)|fasciculated]]. The [[flower]]s are bell-shaped, greenish-white to yellowish, {{convert|4.5|–|6.5|mm|in|frac=32|abbr=on}} long, with six [[tepal]]s partially fused together at the base; they are produced singly or in clusters of two or three in the junctions of the branchlets. It is usually [[dioecious]], with male and female flowers on separate plants, but sometimes hermaphrodite flowers are found. The [[fruit]] is a small red [[Berry (botany)|berry]] {{convert|6-10|mm|in|frac=32|abbr=on}} in diameter, which is [[toxin|toxic]] to humans.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gardengrow.co.nz/plant/Asparagus|title=Growing Asparagus|last=Garden Grow.|date=n.d.|access-date=19 November 2019}}</ref>
Plants native to the western coasts of [[Europe]] (from northern [[Spain]] to northwest [[Germany]], north [[Ireland]], and [[Great Britain]]) are treated as ''A. officinalis'' subsp. ''prostratus'' {{small|(Dumort.) Corb.}}, distinguished by its low-growing, often prostrate stems growing to only {{convert|30|–|70|cm|abbr=on}} high, and shorter cladodes {{convert|2|–|18|mm|in|frac=32|abbr=on}} long.<ref name="Flora Europaea.">{{cite web |last=Flora Europaea. |date=n.d. |title=Asparagus officinalis |url=http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Asparagus&SPECIES_XREF=officinalis&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= |access-date=19 May 2010 |publisher=Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh}}</ref><ref name="Blamey" /> Some authors treat it as a distinct species, ''A. prostratus'' {{small|Dumort}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/BIS/flora.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&id=4839|title=Asparagus prostratus (Asparagus, Wild)|last1=Stace|first1=C.|author-link=Clive Stace|editor-last=van der Meijden|editor-first=R. |work=Interactive Flora of NW Europe|publisher=ETI BioInformatics|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923070246/http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/BIS/flora.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&id=4839|archive-date=23 September 2009|access-date=19 May 2010|editor2-last=de Kort|editor2-first=I. }}</ref><ref>
{{GRIN | ''Asparagus prostratus'' | 5538 | access-date = 19 May 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Asparagus Tip.jpg|thumb|upright|Asparagus shoot before becoming woody]]