Asparagus officinalis
Poisonous plant
Common names
asparagus
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Monocots
Flower colours
Cream, White
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Asparagaceae
Ecology
Year naturalised
1870
Origin
Europe, W. Asia, Siberia, N. Africa
Other information
Poisonous plant
Small red berries are mildly poisonous.
Etymology
asparagus: An old Greek name for this plant possibly derived from a- (an intensifier) and sparasso ‘to tear’, referring to the prickles of some species
officinalis: From the Latin officina shortened from opificina which originally meant ‘workshop’ but later came to mean a monastic storeroom, herb-room or pharmacy. Refers to the plant’s real or perceived medicinal value.
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
ASPOFF