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Flora Emslandia - Plants in Emsland (northwestern Germany)

Garden asparagus

Asparagus officinalis L.: The cradle of the garden asparagus is suspected in Middle East and Central Asia as well as in Eastern Europe, where Asparagus officinalis grew up dunes, forests and on riverbanks and was probably already cultivated. From there it was probably brought to Europe by the Romans and Greeks.

While among the Greeks no asparagus cultivation took place, because it was considered as a healing and less than a vegetable plant, Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder (234–149 B.C.) described in his De Agri Cultura (on agriculture) in the 169th chapter detailled the cultivation of green asparagus from seed to harvest. The asparagus as a plant he called Corruda, the ripe vegetables Asparagus.

The Romans spread the asparagus on their campaigns over most of Europe. In Germany, it led a shadowy existence for centuries as a medicinal plant in the monastery gardens. Only in the 17th century it was rediscovered as a vegetable plant. After it was possible to preserve asparagus, its cultivation was carried out in a big way.

Asparagus is now available in different varieties, which have arisen by crossing some wild asparagus species. They differ in yield, in thickness, in taste and in the susceptibility of disease. However, green, violet and white asparagus are not different species or varieties, but arise by different cultivation. White asparagus  contains no chlorophyll. This is achieved in that it is grown under mounds. Green asparagus grows above the ground. Violet asparagus is caused by a mixed form of both cultivation types - it is then harvested, when the asparagus tips come out of the mounds and have acquired a purple color.

Historical publications

Leonhart Fuchs (1501–1566) wrote about the "Spargen" it would called in Latin Asparagi and in pharmacies Sparagos. In May, the long and simple umbels (sprouts) would form, which were thick as a finger, firm, round and leafless. On top they were shingled and pointed. From these would grow long stems, which would branch out into many twigs. The leaves were hair-shaped or fennel-like which become hard and purgent over time. The fruits were pea-sized, first green, later red and full of seeds. the umbels (sprouts) would cooked and processed with vinegar, salt and oil to salad, the seeds were collected in the summer.

Interesting notes

• In 1985 opened in Schrobenhausen (Bavaria), the German Asparagus Museum. After enlargement, in 1991 developed out of this the European Asparagus Museum.

• Today are cultivated only the higher-yielding male asparagus plants, which arise by crossing of two homozygous plants.

• The asparagus plants, which grows wild in Emsland, are feral cultural forms.