Practical
Plants

Asparagus filicinus

Fern Asparagus

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Fertility
self sterile
Flower type
dioecious
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Edible uses

Young shoots - cooked[4][5]. Used as a vegetable[9].

Plant part
Stem

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

The dried root is antipyretic, antitussive, diuretic, expectorant, stomachic, nervous stimulant and tonic[7].

Product or use
Antipyretic
Product or use
Antitussive
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Nervine
Product or use
Stomachic
Product or use
Tonic

Environment

Range
E. Asia - China, India.
Habitat
Loose humus rich soils in forests, 1700 - 2700 metres in the Himalayas[3]. Forests, thickets, shady and moist places along valleys; 1200 - 3000 metres in western China[8].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 8+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

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[2]. 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

Easily grown in any good garden soil[6]. Prefers a rich sandy loam[1]. Plants are hardy to between -10 and -15°c[6]. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988-00-00

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  3. Singh. Dr. G. and Kachroo. Prof. Dr. P. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1976-00-00

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  4. Gupta. B. L. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press 1945-00-00

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  5. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  7. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

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  8. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

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  9. Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-527-6

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