21 Asparagus Asparagus officinalis Asparagus officinalis is a spring vegetable, a flowering perennial plant species in the genus Asparagus. It was once classified in the lily family, like its Allium cousins, onions and garlic, but the Liliaceae have been split and the onion-like plants are now in the family Amaryllidaceae and asparagus in the Asparagaceae. Asparagus officinalis is native to most of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia, and is widely cultivated as a vegetable crop. 42784 Asparagus 21.jpg image/jpeg 136631 2012-04-20T09:32:33Z 21 Vegetables Shoot vegetables Type 1 2011-02-09T00:37:16Z 2019-05-14T18:04:14Z false specific 4686 true FOOD00021