Minnesota Wildflowers


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Asparagus officinalis (Garden Asparagus)

Plant Info
Also known as: Common Asparagus
Genus:Asparagus
Family:Liliaceae (Lily)
Life cycle:perennial
Origin:Europe
Habitat:part shade, sun; fields, open woods, along roads
Bloom season:May - June
Plant height:2 to 7 feet
USDA PLANTS database:Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:

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Detailed Information

Flower: 6-petals

[photo of flowers] 1 to 3 flowers arise from the leaf axils in the upper part of the plant. Individual flowers are about ¼ inch long, bell-shaped with 6 pale yellow to greenish petals (tepals), 6 orange-tipped stamens, on a slender stalk up to an inch long.

Leaves and stem: alternate compound

[photo of leaves] Leaves are compound and feathery, with soft, needle-shaped leaflets about 1 inch long grouped in clusters of up to 5 leaflets, and many branches. Attachment is alternate. The stems are weak and the branches tend to droop under the weight.

Fruit:

[photo of fruit] Fruit is a shiny red berry ¼ to 1/3 inch in diameter, each containing up to 6 seeds. The berries persist through the winter.

Notes:

This is the same asparagus you can find at your local grocer; it escaped cultivation and has become naturalized throughout much of the U.S. Asparagus sprouts up in early spring, and is the best time to harvest the shoots.

Where to buy native seed and plants

Help support this site by buying seeds & plants from these vendors. Tell them we sent you!

  • Shop for native seeds and plants at PrairieMoon.com!
  • Out Back Nursery and Landscaping - Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite
  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds
  • Prairie Restorations - Bringing people together with the land

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN and Vadnais/Snail Lake Regional Park, Shoreview, MN June and August, 2008 and January 2009

Comments

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