Asparagus acutifolius

Wild Asparagus Asparagaceae

The Mediterranean’s answer to asparagus with attitude. Asparagus acutifolius is an evergreen, scrambling perennial forming a tangled framework of slender stems clothed in clusters of viciously pointed, needle-like cladodes — technically modified stems rather than true leaves. Small greenish-white flowers appear in summer, followed on female plants by attractive black berries. The result is far more architectural than its culinary cousin, A. officinalis, and wonderfully adapted to hot, dry conditions. Kew recognises it as a distinct species, native throughout much of the Mediterranean basin from Portugal and Spain to Greece, Türkiye, North Africa and the Levant. 

Its greatest claim to fame, however, is edible. The young spring shoots, known variously as wild asparagus or asparagi selvatici, have been gathered for centuries across Mediterranean Europe and remain particularly prized in Italy, Spain, Croatia and Greece. They are thinner, more bitter and considerably more characterful than cultivated asparagus, and are traditionally eaten steamed, boiled, fried with eggs, added to risotto or incorporated into soups and salads. Wild harvesting remains an important part of Mediterranean food culture. 

Give it full sun, sharply drained soil and plenty of summer heat. It is ideal for a Mediterranean, gravel or dry garden and becomes increasingly impressive with age.

Height: 60–120cm
Spread: 100–150cm
Flowering: July–September
Hardiness: H5 (-15 to -10°C)
Best conditions: Full sun; poor to moderately fertile, very well-drained soil; drought tolerant once established.

The shoots are the prize — but harvest sparingly, allowing the plant sufficient foliage to recharge its substantial underground reserves.