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asparagus
asparagus perennial garden vegetable ( Asparagus officinalis ) of the family Liliaceae ( lily family), native to the E Mediterranean area and now naturalized over much of the world. As in the other species of this Old World genus of succulent plants, the stems are green and function as leaves, while the leaves themselves are reduced to small scales. The tender shoots of asparagus are cut and eaten in the spring. It grows wild in the salt marshes of Europe and Asia, where it has also been under cultivation from antiquity. In early times it was regarded as a panacea. Cato in his On Farming gave directions for growing asparagus similar to those in a modern manual of agriculture. The San Joaquin valley is the main asparagus-growing area of the United States; over half the crop is processed, i.e., canned or frozen. The feathery sprays of the mature garden asparagus are sometimes used by florists, but more popular for decorative purposes are other plants of the same genus—the asparagus fern ( A. plumosus, not a true fern) and the florists' smilax ( A. asparagoides ), both climbing vines native to S Africa. The wild smilax, usually called greenbrier, belongs to the genus Smilax. Asparagus is classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Liliopsida, order Liliales, family Liliaceae. |
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"asparagus." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "asparagus." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-asparagu.html "asparagus." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-asparagu.html |
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Asparagus
Asparagus (family Liliaceae) A genus of small shrubs or perennial herbs that have creeping, underground stems and green, needle-like branchlets replacing the leaves which are reduced to papery scales. A. officinalis is cultivated for its edible young shoots which are then forced and sometimes blanched. A. setaceus produces attractive, feathery foliage used in flower bouquets. There are about 100 species found throughout the Old World.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "Asparagus." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "Asparagus." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-Asparagus.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "Asparagus." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-Asparagus.html |
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asparagus
as·par·a·gus / əˈsparəgəs; əˈsper-/ • n. a tall plant (Asparagus officinalis) of the lily family with fine feathery foliage, cultivated for its edible shoots. ∎ the tender young shoots of this plant, eaten as a vegetable. |
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"asparagus." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "asparagus." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-asparagus.html "asparagus." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-asparagus.html |
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asparagus
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DAVID A. BENDER. "asparagus." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAVID A. BENDER. "asparagus." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-asparagus.html DAVID A. BENDER. "asparagus." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-asparagus.html |
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asparagus
asparagus XVI. — L. — Gr. aspáragos. Various alt. or deriv. forms have been current: (i) sparagus (XVII); (ii) (a)sperage, sparage (XV); (iii) sparrow-grass, sparagrass (XVII).
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T. F. HOAD. "asparagus." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "asparagus." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-asparagus.html T. F. HOAD. "asparagus." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-asparagus.html |
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asparagus
asparagus
•horrendous, stupendous, tremendous
•Barbados • Indus • solidus • Lepidus
•Midas, nidus
•Aldous • Judas • Enceladus • exodus
•hazardous • Dreyfus • Josephus
•Sisyphus • typhus • Dollfuss
•amorphous, anthropomorphous, polymorphous
•rufous, Rufus
•Angus • Argus
•Las Vegas, magus, Tagus
•negus
•anilingus, cunnilingus, dingus, Mingus
•bogus
•fungous, fungus, humongous
•anthropophagous, oesophagus (US esophagus), sarcophagus
•analogous
•homologous, tautologous
•Areopagus • asparagus
•Burgas, Fergus, Lycurgus
•Carajás • frabjous
•advantageous, contagious, courageous, outrageous, rampageous
•egregious
•irreligious, litigious, prestigious, prodigious, religious, sacrilegious
•umbrageous • gorgeous
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"asparagus." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "asparagus." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-asparagus.html "asparagus." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-asparagus.html |
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