Iranian Asparagus

Asparagus is herbaceous, perennial plant growing to 100 to 150 cm tall, with stout stems with much-branched, feathery foliage. The underground part consists of rhizomes or the crowns and their lateral extensions, fleshy and fibrous roots.Its history goes back as far as that of the leek and has been consumed for over 2000 years. This garden plant originated in the eastern Mediterranean countries and traces of wild varieties have been discovered in Africa. There are some wild species of asparagus in Iran such as A. breslerianus, A. persicus, A. officinalis, A. verticillatus, A. khorasanensis, A. bojnurdensis, A. touranensis, A. azerbaijanensis and A. capitatus that they have amazing edible and medicinal properties and they can be useful in asparagus plant breeding programs.