Asparagus, a member of the family Liliaceae, is a perennial of which the spears or growing stems are eaten. The perennial structure of the plant is a crown constituting a ramified rhizome formed by the consecutive initiation and development of buds and storage roots. Vegetative propagation by fractionation of the crown is possible on a small scale, but is unpractical on a commercial scale. The plant is thus propagated from seeds sown in nurseries at high densities. In the spring of each year, spears develop from buds on the crown and give rise to ramified stems. These stems bear cladophylls which are leaf-like structures morphologically related to stems. The actual leaf is a small scale located along the stem.