What plant is asparagus fern? An article to help you understand
Asparagus fern, also known as sea vegetable, Jiangli, thread vegetable, and fa cai, is a plant of the genus Asparagus in the Liliaceae family. It is a wild famous vegetable, a perennial vine-like climbing plant. Its natural wild vine stems can reach 30 to 50 m in length, and it reproduces asexually. It is also one of the raw materials for extracting agar in the Shandong region of China.
Morphological characteristics
Erect herb, up to 1 m tall. Roots slender, about 2-3 mm thick. Stem upper part and branches with longitudinal ridges, branches sometimes with very narrow wings. Cladodes usually in clusters of 3-4, narrowly linear, sickle-shaped, base nearly sharply triangular, upper part flat, 1-4 cm long, 0.7-1 mm wide; scale-like leaves nearly lanceolate, base without spines. Flowers 2-4 per axil, yellow-green; pedicels very short, about 0.5-1 mm long; male flowers: perianth 2-2.5 mm long; staminal filaments not adnate to the perianth segments; female and male flowers nearly equal in size. Berry about 6 mm in diameter, red when ripe, usually with 1-2 seeds. Flowering period May-June, fruiting period August-September.
Distribution range
It is cultivated in the coastal areas of China and in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, western Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi (central and southern parts) and Gansu (southeastern part). It is also distributed in Japan, Korea and Siberia of the Soviet Union.
Main value
Asparagus fern has a rich aromatic fragrance and has effects such as clearing heat and detoxifying, promoting dampness discharge and aiding digestion. It can treat colds, constipation and other conditions. Type specimen origin: Pacific Grove, California, United States. In terms of nutritional composition, every 100 g of fresh asparagus fern contains 1.4 g of protein, 220 mg of carotene, 0.01 mg of vitamin B1, 0.9 mg of niacin, and 2 mg of vitamin C, making it very suitable for the elderly and young children to eat.
Especially in medicine, it has the functions of warming the stomach, soothing the chest, promoting urination and benefiting the kidneys. Regular consumption of asparagus fern has effects in treating heart disease, high blood pressure, vascular sclerosis and fighting cancer.