Asparagus Family

Asparagus Family - Asparagaceae

Common Butcher's-broom Ruscus aculeatus

Native across western and southern Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and the Middle East to the Caucasus. A distinctive, spiny, evergreen shrub that forms dense thickets of stiff, upright stems. A closer look reveals that the spine-tipped 'leaves' are actually flattened stems, which bear the flowers and berries at their centre.


Habit	Stems	Flower

Leaf-like stems	Leaf-like stems	Fruit

Divergent Star-of-Bethlehem Ornithogalum divergens

Native throughout much of central and southern Europe and the Mediterranean Region. Frequent in grassy places and roadsides. Leaves more than 2mm wide, usually persistent at anthesis; leaves glabrous, with white central stripe. Bulb with numerous stipitate offsets; perianth segments 18-30mm; capsule obovoid-oblong, slightly angled.

(Sometimes included in the polyploid O. umbellatum complex as a form with relatively small, stipitate bulblets and slightly reflexed fruiting pedicels.)


Habit	Habit	Habit	Flower

Flower pedicels	Leaves

Mediterranean Sea Squill Drimia numidica

Native to the central Mediterranean Region, from Morocco to Libya, Balearics, Italy, Sicily, the Balkan Peninsula and some Greek islands.


Flower spikes	Flower spikes	Flowers	Flower

Leaves	Leaf

Greek Squill Scilla messeniaca

Native to southern Greece.


Habit	Flowers	Flowers	Flower

Leaf detail	Leaf detail

Bellevalia dubia

Patchily spread through the Mediterranean Region.


Early flower spike	Flowering spike	Flowering spike	Flower

Flower	Leaves	Seed capsules	Seed capsule

Dark Grape-hyacinth Muscari commutatum

Native to the South-eastern Mediterranean Region, from Italy to the Aegean Islands.


Habit	Flower spikes	Flowers

Flowers	Flowers	Flowers	Seed capsules

Tassel Hyacinth Muscari comosum

(Muscari comosum) Native to central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, the Mediterranean Region and eastwards to Iran.


Habit	Sterile flowers	Fertile flower

Flowers in bud	Flowers in bud	Flowers in bud	Leaf

Sharp-leaved Asparagus Asparagus acutifolius

Native throughout the Mediterranean Region. Common on rough and often stony ground.


Habit	Flowers	Leaves	Leaves

Leaves	Leaves	Young leaves	Fruits

Spiny Asparagus Asparagus horridus

(Asparagus stipularis) Native from the Canary Islands through the Mediterranean Region to the Arabian Peninsula.


Flowers	Stems	Spines	Fruits

Giant Yucca Yucca gigantea

Native throughout most of Central America. Grown as a garden ornamental and occasionally found were planted or disposed of in the wider countryside.


Habit	Habit

Centuryplant Agave americana

Native to the southern USA and Mexico and widely planted as a garden ornamental and for a variety of economic purposes.


Habit	Habit	Leaf detail	Leaf detail

Leaf detail	Leaf spine

Flora of Peloponnese An Identification Guide

Asparagus Family

Asparagus Family - Asparagaceae

Species List

Flora of Peloponnese
An Identification Guide