{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.asparagus-officinalis","code":"thing-q28367","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q28367/","name":"Asparagus officinalis","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.1.0-research.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.LIV"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"Asparagus officinalis is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asparagaceae whose young, unexpanded shoots (spears) are harvested as a vegetable crop, distinguished by dioecious flowering, cladode-bearing stems, and a long-lived crown that produces successive spring harvests.","purpose":"Enable an AI agent to recognise Asparagus officinalis, assess its perennial plant condition, and decide whether to retain, cultivate, propagate or harvest it.","scope":{"in":["Species identification and evidence distinguishing garden asparagus from other Asparagus species","Continuity of an individual crown across successive spear and fern growth cycles","Spear development, fern condition and evidence of crown vigour","Reproductive state, planting origin and cultivar claims","Plant-specific environmental exposure, damage and harvest readiness"],"out":["Other Asparagus species, including ornamentals sold as asparagus fern","Field or asparagus-bed management as an aggregate production system","Soil, weather and irrigation infrastructure except their recorded effects on this plant","Pest and pathogen biology beyond their association with observed plant damage","Harvested food lots, storage chains, recipes and nutritional or medicinal products"],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Inspect mature shoots for scale-like true leaves and clustered fine cladodes; fernlike appearance alone does not establish either a true fern or this species. [Kew species profile](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:531229-1/general-information)","Compare the combination of upright herbaceous growth, cladode arrangement and reproductive structures against a regional Asparagus key; a spear photograph or the name 'asparagus fern' is insufficient for species confirmation.","When available, check bell-shaped flowers with six tepals and red berries containing black seeds; these support identification only in combination with vegetative characters. [Kew species profile](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:531229-1/general-information)","For a detached spear or dormant crown, require traceability to an identified plant or documented planting stock, and retain uncertainty where diagnostic mature structures are unavailable.","Do not separate white and green spears into different species: record light-exclusion history because earthing up can produce white spears. [Kew species profile](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:531229-1/general-information)"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"asparagus-identity","name":"Asparagus identity","description":"Establish whether the observed organism belongs to this registry entry.","layers":[{"id":"species-recognition","name":"Species recognition","description":"Evaluate diagnostic structures against plausible local alternatives.","findings":[{"id":"diagnostic-character-combination","name":"Diagnostic character combination","description":"Record the observed combination of habit, cladodes, scale leaves and reproductive structures, including missing evidence.","questions":[{"text":"Which observed characters support Asparagus officinalis under the identification key used?","id":"diagnostic-character-combination-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which locally plausible Asparagus species remain unexcluded?","id":"diagnostic-character-combination-q02","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Which photographs, specimen or expert determination supports the identification?","id":"diagnostic-character-combination-q03","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"planting-identity","name":"Planting identity","description":"Separate species determination from cultivar labels and production appearance.","findings":[{"id":"stock-and-colour-evidence","name":"Stock and colour evidence","description":"Retain the source of cultivar claims and the growth conditions associated with spear colour.","questions":[{"text":"What supplier, accession or parent record supports the cultivar claim?","id":"stock-and-colour-evidence-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Was spear colour observed under ordinary light exposure or deliberate blanching?","id":"stock-and-colour-evidence-q02","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Can species identity be supported independently of the cultivar label or spear colour?","id":"stock-and-colour-evidence-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"crown-and-shoot-continuity","name":"Crown and shoot continuity","description":"Follow the perennial organism through changing visible shoots.","layers":[{"id":"crown-boundary","name":"Crown boundary","description":"Resolve the relationship between an observed shoot and the persistent plant.","findings":[{"id":"shoot-to-crown-assignment","name":"Shoot-to-crown assignment","description":"Distinguish known crown membership from proximity-based assumptions in dense plantings.","questions":[{"text":"Which crown is this spear or mature shoot associated with, and how was that association established?","id":"shoot-to-crown-assignment-q01","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Can individual crowns be distinguished without excavation or damage?","id":"shoot-to-crown-assignment-q02","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"seasonal-continuity","name":"Seasonal continuity","description":"Track emergence, fern development and periods without visible shoots.","findings":[{"id":"growth-cycle-evidence","name":"Growth cycle evidence","description":"Preserve dated observations that distinguish expected dormancy from failed emergence or suspected crown loss.","questions":[{"text":"When were emergence, fern expansion and senescence last observed for this crown?","id":"growth-cycle-evidence-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What evidence distinguishes dormancy from damage, death or simply an unobserved plant?","id":"growth-cycle-evidence-q02","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"What follow-up observation would resolve an unexpectedly absent shoot flush?","id":"growth-cycle-evidence-q03","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"establishment-and-reproduction","name":"Establishment and reproduction","description":"Record how this plant became established and whether it can supply propagation material.","layers":[{"id":"establishment-history","name":"Establishment history","description":"Distinguish seedling age, crown-stock age and time since planting.","findings":[{"id":"established-crown-evidence","name":"Established crown evidence","description":"Assess establishment from dated planting records and subsequent growth rather than an undifferentiated age label.","questions":[{"text":"Was the plant established from seed, transplanted seedling or crown stock, and when?","id":"established-crown-evidence-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"How many growing seasons and successful fern-growth periods have occurred since planting?","id":"established-crown-evidence-q02","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Does the documented establishment history support harvest or require further unrestricted growth?","id":"established-crown-evidence-q03","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"reproductive-observations","name":"Reproductive observations","description":"Track flowers, fruit and seed origin without inferring individual traits solely from a stock label.","findings":[{"id":"flower-and-seed-status","name":"Flower and seed status","description":"Record observed flower expression, fruiting and the evidence linking collected seed or volunteers to this plant.","questions":[{"text":"Which flower structures support the recorded reproductive expression?","id":"flower-and-seed-status-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What is known about the maternal plant and pollen source of collected seed?","id":"flower-and-seed-status-q02","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Should fruit and volunteers be retained for propagation or managed to limit unwanted establishment?","id":"flower-and-seed-status-q03","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"crown-vigour-and-injury","name":"Crown vigour and injury","description":"Assess plant performance through spear production, fern condition and organ-specific damage.","layers":[{"id":"vigour-observations","name":"Vigour observations","description":"Compare successive growth observations while accounting for establishment and previous harvest.","findings":[{"id":"spear-and-fern-performance","name":"Spear and fern performance","description":"Use dated spear counts, dimensions and retained green growth as indicators, without treating them as direct measurements of stored reserves.","questions":[{"text":"How have spear number and diameter changed under comparable observation intervals?","id":"spear-and-fern-performance-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"How much living fern growth remains after harvest or injury?","id":"spear-and-fern-performance-q02","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which observations support reduced vigour, and which alternative explanations remain?","id":"spear-and-fern-performance-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"injury-and-growing-conditions","name":"Injury and growing conditions","description":"Relate spear, fern and crown symptoms to exposures and diagnostic evidence.","findings":[{"id":"organ-specific-damage","name":"Organ-specific damage","description":"Record lesions, feeding damage, discolouration or collapse separately from suspected pest, disease or environmental causes.","questions":[{"text":"Which organs are affected, how extensively, and when did symptoms begin?","id":"organ-specific-damage-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What inspection, laboratory result or exposure record supports the suspected cause?","id":"organ-specific-damage-q02","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Would further inspection, sampling or reduced disturbance best resolve the uncertainty?","id":"organ-specific-damage-q03","kind":"action"}]},{"id":"root-zone-fit","name":"Root-zone fit","description":"Link the crown to local drainage and soil observations before selecting cultivation changes.","questions":[{"text":"What measured root-zone conditions coincide with weak emergence or fern decline?","id":"root-zone-fit-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which locally supported adjustment could improve conditions without injuring the crown or developing spears?","id":"root-zone-fit-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"spear-harvest-and-recovery","name":"Spear harvest and recovery","description":"Decide whether individual spears may be removed while preserving the plant's future growth.","layers":[{"id":"harvest-eligibility","name":"Harvest eligibility","description":"Combine organ identity, spear development and crown history before removal.","findings":[{"id":"spear-removal-decision","name":"Spear removal decision","description":"Require a supported plant identification, an immature spear and a crown condition compatible with further harvest.","questions":[{"text":"Is the target an identified immature spear, and what are its dimensions and tip condition?","id":"spear-removal-decision-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What establishment, vigour and removal history supports harvesting this spear now?","id":"spear-removal-decision-q02","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which observations require retaining the spear or deferring a food-use decision?","id":"spear-removal-decision-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"harvest-limit-and-handoff","name":"Harvest limit and handoff","description":"Track cumulative removal, the transition to fern retention and provenance of detached spears.","findings":[{"id":"recovery-trigger","name":"Recovery trigger","description":"Apply an explicit, locally supported stopping rule rather than assuming a universal harvest calendar.","questions":[{"text":"How many spears have been removed during this growth cycle, and over what interval?","id":"recovery-trigger-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which local guidance and plant observations determine when harvest must stop?","id":"recovery-trigger-q02","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which shoots will remain to develop into fern growth, and when will recovery be reassessed?","id":"recovery-trigger-q03","kind":"action"}]},{"id":"detached-part-provenance","name":"Detached part provenance","description":"Preserve source-plant and removal information when a spear enters a separate harvested-material or food-lot model.","questions":[{"text":"Which crown or documented source group supplied the detached spear, and when was it removed?","id":"detached-part-provenance-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which linked model takes responsibility for storage, contamination assessment and subsequent food handling?","id":"detached-part-provenance-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-and-external-alignment","name":"Evidence and external alignment","description":"What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.","layers":[{"id":"reported-evidence","name":"Reported evidence","description":"Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.","findings":[{"id":"evidence-kinds","name":"Kinds and varieties","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of Asparagus officinalis this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-kinds-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-identifiers","name":"Identifiers and schemes","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of Asparagus officinalis this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-identifiers-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation","name":"Standards and regulation","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of Asparagus officinalis this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-real-world-use","name":"Real-world use","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of Asparagus officinalis this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-real-world-use-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-measurements","name":"Typical measurements","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of Asparagus officinalis this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-measurements-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards","name":"Failure modes and hazards","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of Asparagus officinalis this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-regional-variation","name":"Regional variation","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of Asparagus officinalis this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-regional-variation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-neighbours","name":"Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of Asparagus officinalis this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-neighbours-q01","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Monitor asparagus beds for growth, pests and disease and report to the grower.","Harvest spears within the season and limits the grower has set."],"mustNot":["Harvest so long or so hard that the crown is exhausted.","Apply pesticides above label rates or within the pre-harvest interval.","Suggest eating the berries, which are toxic.","Misstate the origin of produce sold with a protected designation."],"requiresHuman":["Spraying or treating a field with pesticides.","Removing an established bed."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Asparagus harvest relies on hard seasonal labour that is often poorly protected.","Pesticide residues and water use affect consumers and neighbours."],"affectedParties":["Farm workers","Consumers","Growers"]},"owners":{"steward":"The grower who manages the crop; plant variety registers record named cultivars.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Plant variety registers"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q11992872","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q157957","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.asparagus-officinalis","Wikidata: Q28367 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q28367)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Identification support: unassessed | provisional | confirmed under cited identification method | disputed","Observed biological unit: whole plant | crown | attached spear | mature shoot | detached spear | flower | fruit | seed","Crown membership: shoot-to-crown association with observed, inferred or unknown basis","Planting origin: seed lot | crown stock | parent plant | spontaneous establishment | unknown","Establishment age: completed growing seasons since sowing and since planting, recorded separately","Growth phase: dormant | emerging spears | expanding shoots | fern growth | senescing | mixed | uncertain","Spear dimensions: length in cm and diameter in mm at a stated measurement position","Spear tip development: compact | loosening | branches expanding | damaged","Living fern retention: living shoot count and estimated green canopy percentage, with observation date","Observed reproductive expression: male flowers observed | female flowers observed | mixed or atypical observations | undetermined","Root-zone exposure: linked soil moisture, drainage, temperature and soil-test observations","Spear removal history: spears removed per crown per dated interval, with optional mass in g","Damage distribution: affected organ, symptom, extent, onset and suspected or confirmed cause"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Young shoots emerge as stout spears with tightly closed tips and small overlapping scale leaves.","Mature stems carry clusters of fine needlelike cladodes, producing a fernlike appearance without true fern fronds.","Small bell-shaped flowers occur on the branched stems, and female plants can develop rounded berries that become red when ripe.","Identification uses the combined shoot, cladode, flower and fruit characters because young spears alone can resemble unrelated plants."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["Identify and map a crown, linking successive spears and mature shoots to it.","Monitor emergence, spear growth, fern retention and seasonal recovery.","Plant or transplant documented stock when its condition and the receiving site support establishment.","Harvest selected immature spears when identification, establishment and recovery evidence permit.","Retain shoots for fern development or seed production according to the plant's intended use.","Inspect damaged organs, request diagnostic sampling and select a justified care or removal action."]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Eating the berries can cause gastrointestinal illness.","Confusing wild shoots with unrelated plants can result in ingestion of a poisonous species.","Handling or eating asparagus can trigger allergic reactions in susceptible people.","Repeated excessive harvesting can weaken the perennial crown and reduce future growth."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["UNECE Standard FFV-04 concerning the marketing and commercial quality control of asparagus, issued by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, applies to fresh asparagus shoots within its scope."]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["This species is cultivated in gardens and commercial fields for its edible young shoots.","Established plants are also encountered as mature fernlike growth or escaped populations, where identification supports crop management and botanical recording."]}},"sources":[{"title":"Asparagus officinalis L.","url":"https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:531229-1","note":"Accepted botanical name, family placement, and nomenclatural identity."},{"title":"Asparagus officinalis L. - garden asparagus","url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ASOF","note":"USDA Plants identity, common name, and North American occurrence."},{"title":"Standard for Asparagus (CXS 225-2001)","url":"https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/sh-proxy/en/?lnk=1&url=https%253A%252F%252Fworkspace.fao.org%252Fsites%252Fcodex%252FStandards%252FCXS%2B225-2001%252FCXS_225e.pdf","note":"International commodity standard covering commercial types (green, white, purple), sizing, and quality."},{"title":"Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to asparagus","url":"https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2011.2240","note":"Food-use identity and safety/health-claim context for asparagus as a vegetable."},{"title":"Wikidata item Q28367: Asparagus officinalis","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q28367","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Asparagus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Which current regional botanical key and taxonomic treatment should resolve close relatives, especially coastal forms associated with the name Asparagus prostratus?","Which cultivar-, climate- and establishment-specific evidence should define harvest readiness and stopping thresholds?","Which nondestructive indicators of crown reserve status are sufficiently validated to support recovery decisions?","What observation method can reliably assign shoots to individual crowns in dense or naturalised stands?","Which organ-specific food-use restrictions and contamination evidence must be passed to the harvested-material model before a detached spear is approved for consumption?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q28367/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q28367/spec.json"],"providers":["Codex","Grok"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-07T09:55:53Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:29+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 3 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}