Asparagus is a lively plant whose underground part is made up of numerous cylindrical, fleshy ramifications (rhizomes), equipped with barbules (roots) which combine to form what is known as the leg. In spring, the rhizomes sprout suckers (stems), which, having been bleached and enlarged by pruning, form the useful part of the asparagus and are called shoots. The cylindrical shoots mostly perish each year while others are produced.

Text taken from:
The Asparagus
Dott. A. Biasco, Francesco Battiato Editore, 1928