What are the triangular shaped markings on asparagus called?
An Asparagus shoot has triangular shaped markings on it. I'm wondering what they're called and why there there (if possible)
Best Answer
They're something leaf-like. If you look closely, you'll find that they aren't just markings, they can be pulled away from the stem.
There doesn't seem to be a lot of agreement about the best name; you'll see "scales" and "leaves" in plenty of informal contexts, and "bracts" in some (but not all) more formal contexts.
On Food and Cooking says they're bracts, and actually mentions why they might be there:
The stalk doesn't support ordinary leaves; the small projections from the stems are leaf-like bracts that shield immature clusters of feathery photosynthetic branches.
That cluster inside them is what makes them bracts:
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale.
Brittanica says "True leaves are reduced to small scales.". That's a bit vague about where it actually is on the plant, but there's an image later in the article making it clear what they're referring to:
Oddly, Brittanica's article about shoot-stem modifications goes into a bit more detail:
In asparagus (Asparagus officinalis; Asparagaceae), the scales found on the asparagus spears are the true leaves. If the thick, fleshy asparagus spears continue to grow, flat, green, leaflike structures called cladodes develop in the axils of the scale leaves.
That does match the definition of bract. Asparagus is only tender enough to eat when pretty young, though, so perhaps when you eat it those cladodes haven't developed yet. That's still the purpose of the scales, though. In any case, it sounds like "scale" vs "bract" may just be a difference in precision and perspective.
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What are the triangles on asparagus?
Dear L.M.: The little triangular things are leaf sheaths or bracts. Whether you trim them off depends partly on how thick and tough the spears are. The ones in the United States tend to be on the short skinny side. They just need to be snapped off at the base.What are the different parts of an asparagus called?
The parts of asparagus you eat include the immature tender shoots or tips, spears, and fleshy stems. These parts are often eaten raw in salads, boiled, grilled, or roasted. The best time to harvest these parts is when the plant is at least two years old and about 6 to 10 inches (15.24 to 25.4 cm).What is the top of an asparagus called?
Bracts, however, are associated specifically with flowers or flowering branches and not with regular vegetative branches. The tip of the asparagus is not a set of flower buds; consequently the thin little triangular leaves of asparagus are not bracts, but rather \u201cscale leaves\u201d that protect developing branch buds.What are the small modified stems on asparagus called?
Cladophylls (cladodes) are stems that resemble leaves in function and appearance, arise from the axils of a shoot, and have determinate growth (stop growth after reaching a certain size). They may be cylindrical (Asparagus; Figure 11.4.Everything you need to know about Asparagus
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Answer 2
"the scales found on the asparagus spears are the true leaves. If the thick, fleshy asparagus spears continue to grow, flat, green, leaflike structures called cladodes develop in the axils of the scale leaves" So they are the true leaves, called scale leaves, with cladodes inside. https://www.britannica.com/plant/angiosperm/Shoot-system-modifications#ref596649
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