Kernopelli
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2006
- Messages
- 2,209
- Location
- Carterville, Illinois
- Tractor
- Mitsubishi MTE2000D, Dig It 258 Mini Ex, Deere Z930A ZTR
While driving home from work this morning I noticed a couple mile stretch of road that is loaded with what appears at least 100 wild asparagus plants. I'd love to mark their locations and go back next spring/summer but am a little stymied by one thing. Asparagus is pretty unique in appearance and I don't know of any other wild plants in S. Illinois that look quite like it. These plants are still green and have every indication of being asparagus, with the exception of one thing...some of the plants have berries, which are green. I have never noticed berries at all on the Martha Washington asparagus plants we have planted here at the house but reading up on the net about wild asparagus reveals that the plants commonly have red berries by fall. All the references to the berries that I can find are described as being red. The seeds in the green berries look like asparagus seeds and all of them that I cut open even had the proper 3-6 seeds per berry. So, my question is, does anyone know if asparagus berries start out green and turn red as the plant yellows later in fall or do I have something else here? I sure don't mind spending an afternoon mapping/marking the plants but would hate to waste my time on it only to learn it's not asparagus at all.