---
title: "Asparagus: classification, 211 accepted species, asparagus fern and its cladodes, cut-foliage care | Floreboard"
url: https://floreboard.com/en/plants/asparagus/
language: en
last_reviewed: 2026-10-28
publisher: Floreboard
---

L'Illustration horticole · 394 · 1880 · public domain

# Asparagus Tourn. ex L.

asparagus · Asparagaceae

- **Accepted name:** Asparagus Tourn. ex L.
- **First published:** Sp. Pl.: 313 (1753)
- **Family:** Asparagaceae
- **Accepted species:** 211 (including 0 natural hybrids)
- **Native range:** 165 TDWG regions, Europe and Africa to northern Australia
- **Common names:** asparagus
- **Databases:** [POWO](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30275681-2) · [IPNI](https://www.ipni.org/n/30275681-2) · [WCVP](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232/taxon/274909) · [Catalogue of Life](https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/8VV9B) · [GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/9527393)

## Overview

Asparagus belongs to the family Asparagaceae; Kew gives its native range as Europe and Africa to northern Australia. Flora of China puts the genus at 160 to 300 species across temperate and tropical Africa, Asia and Europe, 31 of them in China (15 endemic, two introduced), and Flora of Somalia notes that most grow in arid tropical or Mediterranean climates. The species WCVP accepts are listed below.

The genus includes the vegetable asparagus as well as florists’ foliage: asparagus fern, A. setaceus, and the “tree fern” of the import trade, A. virgatus.

## Classification and characters

WCVP cites Linnaeus’s Species Plantarum (1753) as the place of publication and sinks genera once split off, such as Asparagopsis, Myrsiphyllum and Protasparagus, as synonyms.

Flora of China describes perennial herbs or subshrubs, usually with short rhizomes, and erect or climbing, much-branched main stems. Clusters of cladodes — the leaf-like stems that look like the foliage — grow in the axils; they are green and flat, three-angled or nearly terete. The true leaves are pressed against the stem, not green, scale-like and spurred at the base, the spurs often lengthening into spines. The fruit is a berry.

Flora of China lists Asparagus plumosus as a synonym of A. setaceus, which is why florists still call it “plumosus”. It climbs to several metres and is slightly woody at the base; the branches spread horizontally with branchlets and cladodes in one plane, like a fern frond; the cladodes are in clusters of 10–13, each 4–5 mm long; the flowers are white and the berries purplish black. It is native to southern Africa, commonly cultivated and occasionally naturalised in China, and “much used by florists”. The Floral Design Institute stresses that it is not a true fern.

| Genus name | Published in |
| --- | --- |
| Asparagopsis (Kunth) Kunth | Abh. Königl. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 1842: 35 (1844) |
| Elachanthera F.Muell. | Vict. Naturalist 3: 108 (1886) |
| Elide Medik. | Philos. Bot. 2: 71 (1791) |
| Hecatris Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 66 (1866) |
| Myrsiphyllum Willd. | Mag. Neuesten Entdeck. Gesammten Naturk. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin 2: 25 (1808) |
| Protasparagus Oberm. | S. African J. Bot. 2: 243 (1983) |

## Distribution

WCVP records the genus as native to 165 TDWG botanical regions and introduced in 114 more.

Native regions (165)

AfghanistanAlbaniaAldabraAlgeriaAltayAmurAndaman Is.AngolaAssamAustriaBalearesBangladeshBelarusBelgiumBeninBotswanaBulgariaBurkinaBurundiBuryatiyaCambodiaCameroonCanary Is.Cape ProvincesCape VerdeCaprivi StripCentral African RepublicCentral European RussiaChadChina North-CentralChina South-CentralChina SoutheastChitaComorosCongoCorseCyprusCzechia-SlovakiaDenmarkDjiboutiDR CongoEast Aegean Is.East European RussiaEast HimalayaEgyptEquatorial GuineaEritreaEswatiniEthiopiaFranceFree StateGabonGambiaGermanyGhanaGreat BritainGreeceGuineaGuinea-BissauGulf StatesHainanHungaryIndiaInner MongoliaIranIraqIrelandIrkutskItalyIvory CoastJapanJawaKazakhstanKenyaKhabarovskKirgizstanKoreaKrasnoyarskKritiKrymKuril Is.KwaZulu-NatalLaosLebanon-SyriaLesothoLesser Sunda Is.LiberiaLibyaMadagascarMadeiraMalawiMalayaMaldivesMaliMalukuManchuriaMauritaniaMauritiusMongoliaMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNansei-shotoNepalNetherlandsNigerNigeriaNorth CaucasusNorthern ProvincesNorthern TerritoryNW. Balkan Pen.OmanPakistanPalestinePhilippinesPolandPortugalPrimoryeQinghaiQueenslandRéunionRodriguesRomaniaRwandaSakhalinSardegnaSaudi ArabiaSelvagensSenegalSeychellesSiciliaSierra LeoneSinaiSocotraSomaliaSouth European RussiaSpainSri LankaSudan-South SudanSwitzerlandTadzhikistanTaiwanTanzaniaThailandTibetTogoTranscaucasusTunisiaTürkiyeTürkiye-in-EuropeTurkmenistanTuvaUgandaUkraineUzbekistanVietnamWest HimalayaWest SiberiaWestern AustraliaWestern SaharaXinjiangYemenZambiaZimbabwe

### Introduced

Introduced regions (114)

AlabamaAlbertaArgentina NortheastArgentina NorthwestArgentina SouthArizonaArkansasAzoresBaltic StatesBermudaBoliviaBrazil SouthBritish ColumbiaCaliforniaCaroline Is.Chagos ArchipelagoColoradoConnecticutCook Is.Costa RicaDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaDominican RepublicEcuadorEl SalvadorFinlandFloridaGalápagosGeorgiaHaitiHawaiiHondurasIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaJamaicaKansasKentuckyLabradorLeeward Is.LouisianaMaineManitobaMarianasMarshall Is.MarylandMassachusettsMexico CentralMexico GulfMexico NortheastMexico NorthwestMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNauruNebraskaNevadaNew BrunswickNew CaledoniaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew South WalesNew YorkNew Zealand NorthNew Zealand SouthNewfoundlandNiueNorfolk Is.North CarolinaNorth DakotaNorth European RussiaNorthwest European RussiaNorwayNova ScotiaOgasawara-shotoOhioOklahomaOntarioOregonPennsylvaniaPrince Edward I.Puerto RicoQuébecRhode I.SamoaSaskatchewanSolomon Is.South AustraliaSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaSt.HelenaSwedenTasmaniaTennesseeTexasTongaTrinidad-TobagoUruguayUtahVanuatuVermontVictoriaVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWindward Is.WisconsinWyoming

## Accepted species

WCVP accepts 211 species; names with × are natural hybrids. The count changes with revisions; checked 2026-10-28.

Show all 211 accepted species

| Name | On this site |
| --- | --- |
| Asparagus acicularis F.T.Wang & S.C.Chen |   |
| Asparagus acocksii Jessop |   |
| Asparagus acutifolius L. |   |
| Asparagus adscendens Roxb. |   |
| Asparagus aethiopicus L. |   |
| Asparagus africanus Lam. |   |
| Asparagus aggregatus (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus albus L. |   |
| Asparagus alopecurus (Oberm.) Malcomber & Sebsebe |   |
| Asparagus altiscandens Engl. & Gilg |   |
| Asparagus altissimus Munby |   |
| Asparagus angulofractus Iljin |   |
| Asparagus angusticladus (Jessop) J.-P.Lebrun & Stork |   |
| Asparagus aphyllus L. |   |
| Asparagus arborescens Willd. ex Schult. & Schult.f. |   |
| Asparagus aridicola Sebsebe |   |
| Asparagus asiaticus L. |   |
| Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Knuth |   |
| Asparagus aspergillus Jessop |   |
| Asparagus azerbaijanensis Hamdi & Assadi |   |
| Asparagus baumii Engl. & Gilg |   |
| Asparagus bayeri (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus benguellensis Baker |   |
| Asparagus biflorus (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus biradarii (Kamble) Kottaim. |   |
| Asparagus botschantzevii Vlassova |   |
| Asparagus botswanicus Sebsebe |   |
| Asparagus brachiatus Thulin |   |
| Asparagus brachyphyllus Turcz. |   |
| Asparagus breslerianus Schult. & Schult.f. |   |
| Asparagus buchananii Baker |   |
| Asparagus bucharicus Iljin |   |
| Asparagus burchellii Baker |   |
| Asparagus burjaticus Peschkova |   |
| Asparagus calcicola H.Perrier |   |
| Asparagus capensis L. |   |
| Asparagus capitatus Baker |   |
| Asparagus chimanimanensis Sebsebe |   |
| Asparagus clareae (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus cochinchinensis (Lour.) Merr. |   |
| Asparagus coddii (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus concinnus (Baker) Kies |   |
| Asparagus confertus K.Krause |   |
| Asparagus consanguineus (Kunth) Baker |   |
| Asparagus coodei P.H.Davis |   |
| Asparagus crassicladus Jessop |   |
| Asparagus curillus Buch.-Ham. ex Roxb. |   |
| Asparagus dabieshanensis Jia X.Yang, G.W.Hu & Q.F.Wang |   |
| Asparagus dauricus Fisch. ex Link |   |
| Asparagus declinatus L. |   |
| Asparagus deflexus Baker |   |
| Asparagus densiflorus (Kunth) Jessop |   |
| Asparagus denudatus (Kunth) Baker |   |
| Asparagus devenishii (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus divaricatus (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus drepanophyllus Welw. ex Baker |   |
| Asparagus duchesnei L.Linden |   |
| Asparagus dumosus Baker |   |
| Asparagus edulis (Oberm.) J.-P.Lebrun & Stork |   |
| Asparagus elephantinus S.M.Burrows |   |
| Asparagus equisetoides Welw. ex Baker |   |
| Asparagus exsertus (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus exuvialis Burch. |   |
| Asparagus falcatus L. |   |
| Asparagus fallax Svent. |   |
| Asparagus faulkneri Sebsebe |   |
| Asparagus ferganensis Vved. |   |
| Asparagus filicinus Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don |   |
| Asparagus filicladus (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus filifolius Bertol. |   |
| Asparagus flagellaris (Kunth) Baker |   |
| Asparagus flavicaulis (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus fouriei (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus fractiflexus (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus fysonii J.F.Macbr. |   |
| Asparagus gharoensis Blatt. |   |
| Asparagus glaucus Kies |   |
| Asparagus gobicus N.A.Ivanova ex Grubov |   |
| Asparagus gonoclados Baker |   |
| Asparagus graniticus (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus greveanus H.Perrier |   |
| Asparagus griffithii Baker |   |
| Asparagus gypsaceus Vved. |   |
| Asparagus hajrae Kamble |   |
| Asparagus hirsutus S.M.Burrows |   |
| Asparagus horridus L. |   |
| Asparagus humilis Engl. |   |
| Asparagus inderiensis Blum ex Ledeb. |   |
| Asparagus intricatus (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus juniperoides Engl. |   |
| Asparagus kansuensis F.T.Wang & Tang ex S.C.Chen |   |
| Asparagus karthikeyanii (Kamble) M.R.Almeida |   |
| Asparagus katangensis De Wild. & T.Durand |   |
| Asparagus khorasanensis Hamdi & Assadi |   |
| Asparagus kiusianus Makino |   |
| Asparagus kraussianus (Kunth) J.F.Macbr. |   |
| Asparagus krebsianus (Kunth) Jessop |   |
| Asparagus laevissimus Steud. ex Baker |   |
| Asparagus laricinus Burch. |   |
| Asparagus lecardii De Wild. |   |
| Asparagus ledebourii Miscz. |   |
| Asparagus leptocladodius Chiov. |   |
| Asparagus lignosus Burm.f. |   |
| Asparagus longicladus N.E.Br. |   |
| Asparagus longiflorus Franch. |   |
| Asparagus longipes Baker |   |
| Asparagus lycaonicus P.H.Davis |   |
| Asparagus lycicus P.H.Davis |   |
| Asparagus lycopodineus (Baker) F.T.Wang & Tang |   |
| Asparagus lynetteae (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus macowanii Baker |   |
| Asparagus macrorrhizus Pedrol, J.J.Regalado & López Encina |   |
| Asparagus madecassus H.Perrier |   |
| Asparagus mahafalensis H.Perrier |   |
| Asparagus mairei H.Lév. |   |
| Asparagus mariae (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus maritimus (L.) Mill. |   |
| Asparagus meioclados H.Lév. |   |
| Asparagus merkeri K.Krause |   |
| Asparagus microraphis (Kunth) Baker |   |
| Asparagus migeodii Sebsebe |   |
| Asparagus minutiflorus (Kunth) Baker |   |
| Asparagus mollis (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus monophyllus Baker |   |
| Asparagus mozambicus Kunth |   |
| Asparagus mucronatus Jessop |   |
| Asparagus multituberosus R.A.Dyer |   |
| Asparagus munitus F.T.Wang & S.C.Chen |   |
| Asparagus myriacanthus F.T.Wang & S.C.Chen |   |
| Asparagus natalensis (Baker) J.-P.Lebrun & Stork |   |
| Asparagus neglectus Kar. & Kir. |   |
| Asparagus nelsii Schinz |   |
| Asparagus nesiotes Svent. |   |
| Asparagus nodulosus (Oberm.) J.-P.Lebrun & Stork |   |
| Asparagus officinalis L. | 1 plate |
| Asparagus oligoclonos Maxim. |   |
| Asparagus oliveri (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus ovatus T.M.Salter |   |
| Asparagus oxyacanthus Baker |   |
| Asparagus pachyrrhizus N.A.Ivanova ex N.V.Vlassova |   |
| Asparagus palaestinus Baker |   |
| Asparagus pallasii Miscz. |   |
| Asparagus pastorianus Webb & Berthel. |   |
| Asparagus pearsonii Kies |   |
| Asparagus pendulus (Oberm.) J.-P.Lebrun & Stork |   |
| Asparagus penicillatus H.Hara |   |
| Asparagus persicus Baker |   |
| Asparagus petersianus Kunth |   |
| Asparagus plocamoides Webb ex Svent. |   |
| Asparagus poissonii H.Perrier |   |
| Asparagus prostratus Dumort. |   |
| Asparagus przewalskyi N.A.Ivanova ex Grubov & T.V.Egorova |   |
| Asparagus pseudoscaber Grecescu |   |
| Asparagus psilurus Welw. ex Baker |   |
| Asparagus punjabensis J.L.Stewart |   |
| Asparagus pygmaeus Makino |   |
| Asparagus racemosus Willd. |   |
| Asparagus radiatus Sebsebe |   |
| Asparagus ramosissimus Baker |   |
| Asparagus recurvispinus (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus retrofractus L. |   |
| Asparagus richardsiae Sebsebe |   |
| Asparagus rigidus Jessop |   |
| Asparagus ritschardii De Wild. |   |
| Asparagus rogersii R.E.Fr. |   |
| Asparagus rottleri Baker |   |
| Asparagus rubicundus P.J.Bergius |   |
| Asparagus rubricaulis (Kunth) Baker |   |
| Asparagus sarmentosus L. |   |
| Asparagus saundersiae Baker |   |
| Asparagus scaberulus A.Rich. |   |
| Asparagus scandens Thunb. |   |
| Asparagus schoberioides Kunth |   |
| Asparagus schroederi Engl. |   |
| Asparagus schumanianus Schltr. ex H.Perrier |   |
| Asparagus scoparius Lowe |   |
| Asparagus sekukuniensis (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus setaceus (Kunth) Jessop | 1 plate |
| Asparagus sichuanicus S.C.Chen & D.Q.Liu |   |
| Asparagus simulans Baker |   |
| Asparagus spinescens Steud. ex Schult. & Schult.f. |   |
| Asparagus squarrosus J.A.Schmidt |   |
| Asparagus stellatus Baker |   |
| Asparagus stipulaceus Lam. |   |
| Asparagus striatus (L.f.) Thunb. |   |
| Asparagus suaveolens Burch. |   |
| Asparagus subfalcatus De Wild. |   |
| Asparagus subscandens F.T.Wang & S.C.Chen |   |
| Asparagus subulatus Thunb. |   |
| Asparagus sylvicola S.M.Burrows |   |
| Asparagus taliensis F.T.Wang & Tang ex S.C.Chen |   |
| Asparagus tamariscinus N.A.Ivanova ex Grubov |   |
| Asparagus tenuifolius Lam. |   |
| Asparagus tibeticus F.T.Wang & S.C.Chen |   |
| Asparagus touranensis Hamdi & Assadi |   |
| Asparagus transvaalensis (Oberm.) Fellingham & N.L.Mey. |   |
| Asparagus trichoclados (F.T.Wang & Tang) F.T.Wang & S.C.Chen |   |
| Asparagus trichophyllus Bunge |   |
| Asparagus turkestanicus Popov |   |
| Asparagus uhligii K.Krause |   |
| Asparagus umbellatus Link |   |
| Asparagus umbellulatus Bresler |   |
| Asparagus undulatus (L.f.) Thunb. |   |
| Asparagus usambarensis Sebsebe |   |
| Asparagus vaginellatus Bojer ex Baker |   |
| Asparagus verticillatus L. |   |
| Asparagus virgatus Baker |   |
| Asparagus volubilis (L.f.) Thunb. |   |
| Asparagus vvedenskyi Botsch. |   |
| Asparagus yanbianensis S.C.Chen |   |
| Asparagus yanyuanensis S.C.Chen |   |

## Historic plates

Plates in date order; the printed names are kept as they appear, current names are on the species pages and the topic page.

- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/plantarum-icones-asparagus-officinalis.jpg)Asparagus officinalisPlantarum indigenarum et exoticarum icones ad vivum coloratae · 1791,
- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/ih-27-394.jpg)Asparagus plumosusL'Illustration horticole · 394 · 1880,

## Cut-foliage handling and safety

The Floral Design Institute’s asparagus-fern sheet: choose turgid, flexible stems without kinks, and avoid yellowing foliage that sheds its “needles”. Dip the whole stem in an anti-transpirant to seal in moisture and prevent browning; cut about 5 cm from the stem with a sharp knife and hydrate in plain water for two hours before storing or using, and store in plain water; store at 2–5 °C (36–41 °F). Vase life is 14–20 days, and it is not ethylene sensitive. It is very sensitive to dehydration, which makes the cladodes drop.

Floralife’s A. virgatus sheet: store at 1–3 °C and 75–85% humidity, avoiding softened water; vase life 7–14 days, low ethylene sensitivity, performs well in foam. Problems include Fusarium and Alternaria infections, bacterial blight from Xanthomonas campestris causing necrotic stem lesions, yellowing cladophylls (from mites, fungi or nutrition), cladophyll drop from rough handling in transport or storage, and stem dehydration.

The ASPCA lists asparagus fern (A. densiflorus ‘Sprengeri’) as toxic to dogs and cats: repeated skin contact can cause allergic dermatitis, and eating the berries can cause vomiting, abdominal pain or diarrhoea.

## Further reading

- [Flower guide](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/asparagus/)
- [Reference library](https://floreboard.com/en/library/)

## References

- [WCVP · World Checklist of Vascular Plants (via ChecklistBank dataset 2232)](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232) · accessed 2026-10-28
- [Kew (POWO data on the ColPlanta site) · Asparagus, with Flora of Oman and Flora of Somalia](https://colplanta.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30275681-2/general-information)
- [Flora of China vol. 24 · Asparagus](http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=102837)
- [Flora of China vol. 24 · Asparagus setaceus](http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200027577)
- [Floral Design Institute flower library · Asparagus Fern](https://www.floraldesigninstitute.com/blogs/resources-flower-library/asparagus-fern)
- [Floralife · Tree Fern (Asparagus virgatus) care and handling](https://floralife.com/flowers/tree-fern/)
- [ASPCA Animal Poison Control · Asparagus Fern](https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/aspca-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/asparagus-fern)

Names, places of publication, synonyms and distribution checked against WCVP (2026-10-28); the text follows the cited sources and awaits specialist review.