Asparagus adscendens
| Asparagus adscendens | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen Cross Pollinated | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Asparagus adscendens
Propagation: Seed - pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in spring or as soon as the seed is ripe in early autumn in a greenhouse. It usually germinates in 3 - 6 weeks at 25°c[1]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a sunny position in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer[K].
Division in early spring as the plant comes into growth.
Cultivation: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Easily grown in any good garden soil[2]. Prefers a rich sandy loam[3].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Range: E. Asia - Afghanistan, Himalayas, Iran.
Habitat: Found especially in Sal forests in Uttar Pradesh.
Edibility: The plant is a source of a nutritious starch that can be used like salep (which is obtained from various species of orchid)[4][5]. The part of the plant that is used is not specified but is most likely to be the root[K]. To make salep, the root is dried and ground into a powder[K].
The young shoots are probably edible, used like asparagus[K].
Medicinal: The roots are demulcent, diaphoretic, galactogogue and stimulant[6][7][8]. They are useful in the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery and general debility[8].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Dioecious
Links
References
- ↑ Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Gupta, Basant. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press, 1945.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.