Distribution and major morphological traits of wild asparagus (A. acutifolius L. and A. albus L.) in Sicily

Asparagus acutifolius L. and Asparagus albus L. are among the most widespread wild species throughout the Mediterranean basin. In Italy, they find especially favourable growth conditions in the central and southern regions of the peninsula and in the major islands, where they have been used since ancient times for food and medicinal purposes. In view of the high potential interest of wild asparagus for cropping and marketing purposes, numerous botanical surveys were carried out in different Sicilian sites, to determine the presence of these species in natural stands. Small samples of seeds and/or propagation material were taken for each ecotype, further inserted in a collection field for evaluation and ex situ conservation. The main morphological and physiological traits were collected, including number of stems per crown, canopy height, transverse and longitudinal canopy diameter, flowering and fruiting period, and 1000 seed weight. The obtained data were submitted to multivariate statistical analysis. The results showed that morphological characteristics are a suitable tool to discriminate between wild asparagus populations for the evaluation of genetic diversity within a semi-arid Mediterranean area such as Sicily.