14 Jan Asparagus – culinary
Asparagus officinalis
Unlike most other weeds of this family the culinary
asparagus is native to Europe not South Africa.
It does however share many of its counter parts
weedy traits such as developing succulent berries
and growing dense underground rhizomes and
root mats.
Family: Asparagaceae
Origin: Europe
Habit: Grown for culinary purposes. Hardy perennial with robust spears
and prolific fern like vegetative structures 1.5 to 2.0 m tall.
Leaves: Fine, feathery, leaf-like cladodes arranged in cylindrical sprays.
Flowers: Flowers are small, bell shaped, greenish-white and arranged at
the base of branches in Summer.
Fruit: Bluish-green berries to 0.5cm across that turn red when
ripe in Autumn.
Roots: A tough, woody crown is forged at base of stems, with a
comprehensive fleshy root mass radiating out from the crown.
Dispersal: Seed spread by water, animals, birds, humans, contaminated
soil (earthmoving equipment, car tyres etc) and garden
refuse dumping.
Control: Difficult to control - crowning, ensure that the crown is removed
off site. Remove and bag berries. Follow-up - hand -pull all
emerging seedlings. Foliar spray.
This is a popular vegetable
garden plant that needs active
management. This may be as simple
as removing vegetative stalks prior
to seed set, or as comprehensive as
complete removal from gardens.