Asparagus

Description: The spring growth of this plant resembles a cluster of green fingers. The mature plant has fernlike, wispy foliage and red berries. Its flowers are small and greenish in color. Several species have sharp, thornlike structures.

Habitat and Distribution: Asparagus is found worldwide in temperate areas. Look for it in fields, old homesites, and fencerows.

Edible Parts: Eat the young stems before leaves form. Steam or boil them for 10 to 15 minutes before eating. Raw asparagus may cause nausea or diarrhea. The fleshy roots are a good source of starch.

For information on a specific edible or medicinal plant, click on one of the links below:

- Abal   - Acacia   - Agave   - Almond   - Amaranth   - Arctic willow   - Arrowroot   - Asparagus   - Bael fruit   - Bamboo   - Banana and plantain   - Baobab   - Batoko plum   - Bearberry or kinnikinnick   - Beech   - Bignay   - Blackberry, raspberry, and dewberry   - Blueberry and huckleberry   - Breadfruit   - Burdock   - Burl Palm   - Canna lily   - Carob tree   - Cashew nut   - Cattail   - Cereus cactus   - Chestnut   - Chicory   - Chufa   - Coconut   - Common jujube   - Cranberry   - Crowberry   - Cuipo tree   - Dandelion   - Date palm   - Daylily   - Duchesnea or Indian strawberry   - Elderberry   - Fireweed   - Fishtail palm   - Foxtail grass   - Goa bean   - Hackberry   - Hazelnut or wild filbert   - Horseradish tree   - Iceland moss   - Indian potato or Eskimo potato   - Juniper   - Lotus   - Malanga   - Mango   - Manioc   - Marsh marigold   - Mulberry   - Nettle

- Nipa palm   - Oak   - Orach   - Palmetto palm   - Papaya or pawpaw   - Persimmon   - Pincushion cactus   - Pine   - Plantain, broad and narrow leaf   - Pokeweed   - Prickly pear cactus   - Purslane   - Rattan palm   - Reed   - Reindeer moss   - Rock tripe   - Rose apple   - Sago palm   - Sassafras   - Saxaul   - Screw pine   - Sea orach   - Sheep sorrel   - Sorghum   - Spatterdock or yellow water lily   - Sterculia   - Strawberry   - Sugar palm   - Sugarcane   - Sweetsop   - Tamarind   - Taro, cocoyam, elephant ears, eddo, dasheen   - Thistle   - Ti   - Tree fern   - Tropical almond   - Walnut   - Water chestnut   - Water lettuce   - Water lily   - Water plantain   - Wild caper   - Wild crab apple or wild apple   - Wild desert gourd or colocynth   - Wild dock and wild sorrel   - Wild fig   - Wild gourd or luffa sponge   - Wild grape vine   - Wild onion and garlic   - Wild pistachio   - Wild rice   - Wild rose   - Wood sorrel   - Yam   - Yam bean