States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

Garden Asparagus

Asparagus officinalis

Commonly cultivated, commonly escaped to fencerows, roadsides, disturbed areas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

—
Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
3–5 feet
Spread
1.5–3 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Usually moist
See native alternatives

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Foxglove Beardtongue
    Penstemon digitalis

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Purple or white.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

  • Indian-hemp
    Apocynum cannabinum

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Green, pink or white.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

  • False Solomon's-seal
    Maianthemum racemosum

    Sun: Dappled sunlight, Deep shade, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: White.

    Similar growth form, spread, bloom season

Refine these alternatives in the finder

Check a whole list of plants

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
April to June
Fruiting season
July to October

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 33 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

28CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Asparagus

  • Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
  • Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
  • Agrotis vetustaOld Man Dart
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Argyrotaenia ivanaIvana Leafroller Moth
  • Callopistria floridensisFlorida Fern Caterpillar
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
  • Ennomos subsignariaElm Spanworm Moth
Show all 28
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
  • Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
  • Iridopsis larvariaBent-Line Gray
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Tolype velledaLarge Tolype, Large Lappet Moth, Vellada Lappet Moth
  • Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Asparagus

  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asparagaceae
Hardiness
Zones 2a–9b
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower color
Yellow or green
Fruit begins
July
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Asparagus

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNA
Global rankG5?
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources