Asparagus, (genus Asparagus), genus of the family Asparagaceae with up to 300 species native from Siberia to southern Africa. Best known is the garden asparagus (Asparagus officinalis), cultivated as a vegetable.for its succulent spring stalks. Several African species are grown as ornamental plants. Asparagus species may be erect or climbing, and most of the species are more or less woody. The rhizomelike, or sometimes tuberous, roots give rise to conspicuous fernlike branchlets. True leaves are reduced to small scales. Many species are dioecious (individuals are either male or female), and the small greenish yellow flowers in the spring are followed by red berries in the fall. Members of the genus are characterized by the presence of cladodes, which are leaflike organs in the axils of the true leaves.