LILIACE.'E 



'47 



edible portion ol the plant. Tin' scales borne on these llcshy 

 shoots arc true leaves. At lenthi^, the stems become much 

 branched. The filiform cladophylls (Fig. 98) are mostly 

 clustered in the axils of the minute scales. They perform 

 the function of lea\es, as is evidenced by their green color. 

 From the time of seeding, it is usually four years before the 

 rootstock is vigorous enough to allow cuttings to be made. 



Fii;. 99. — r.arden asparagus (Asparagus ofTicinalis). .1, young shoot or 

 "spear"; B. thick, fibrous roots and young shoots arising from "crown." 



However, good crops ha\-e been produced two years after 

 seeding. The plant may ])c. [)ropagated by divison of the 

 root stocks, but the common method is by seeding. 



Leaf. — The true leaves (Fig. 98) are minute scales sub- 

 tending the whorls of clado[)hylls. Thi-y flo not i)erform leaf 

 functions. 



Flower. —The llowers are .-^mall. drot)i)ing, greenish-\-i'll(jw 

 and usually solitary, but sometimes in twos or more at the 



