Wild Asparagus

Asparagus cochinchinensis is a dioecious climbing perennial with stems 1–2 m long. Its cladodes are usually borne in clusters of three and measure 0.5–8 cm long by 1–2 mm wide. The pale-green axillary flowers are usually paired, and the berries are 6–7 mm in diameter and contain one or two seeds. The species is native to East and Southeast Asia, occurring in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and the northern Philippines. Its specific epithet refers to Cochinchina, a historical region of southern Vietnam. It is called thiên môn đông in Vietnamese and tiān mén dōng (天門冬) in Chinese.