The plant around us. Volume 1 The plant around us. Volume I

English: wild asparagus Spanis: espárragos silvestres It is an evergreen perennial plant belonging to the genus Asparagus. The Latin name acutifolius of this species, meaning "thorny leaves", derives from the characteristic shape of the leaves, a quite common feature in the typical plants of the Mediterranean. Estonian: looduslik spargel Portuguesse: espargos selvagens Albanian: espargos selvagens Turkish: yabani kuşkonmaz Catalan: espàrrecs silvestres The flowers are bell-shaped and in small clusters, greenish-white to yellowish, 4.5– 5.5 millimetres (0.18–0.22 in) long. The flowers are dioecious (on each plant they are only male or female). In some Mediterranean regions flowering occurs in late Summer from August through September, often after heavy storms. In this case the small green berries, of 5–6 millimetres (0.20–0.24 in) in diameter, are fully ripe in winter. Asparagus acutifolius reaches on average 30–70 centimetres (12–28 in) of height. The stems have much- branched feathery foliage. The "leaves" are in fact needle-like modified stems.

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