Botany

The genus Asparagus belongs to the Lily Family. It comprises about one

hundred and fifty species, and these are spread through the temperate

and tropical regions of the Old World. One-half of these species are

indigenous to South Africa, and it is from this region that the most

ornamental of the greenhouse species have been obtained.



All the species are perennial, with generally fleshy roots or tubers.

The stems are annual in some, perennial in others, most of them being

spiny, climbing shrubs, growing to a length of from five to twenty or

even fifty feet. The true leaves are usually changed into spines, which

are situated at the base of the branches and are often stout and woody.

The false leaves, termed cladodia, are the linear or hair-like organs

which are popularly called leaves; they are in reality modified

branches. These cladodia are nearly always arranged in clusters at

intervals along the branches, and the flowers generally spring from

their axils. They usually fall off the hardy species in winter, and they

are easily affected by unfavorable conditions in all the species. Most

of them flower and fruit freely under cultivation, so that seeds are

available for propagation.