asphodel, any of several flowering plants belonging to the family Asphodelaceae (order Asparagales). It is a variously applied and thus much misunderstood common name. The asphodel of the poets is often a narcissus. That of the ancients is either of two genera, Asphodeline or Asphodelus, containing numerous species in the Mediterranean region. In Greek mythology, the asphodel flowers were associated with the underworld, death, and mourning.
Asphodel plants are hardy herbaceous perennials with narrow grasslike leaves and an elongated stem bearing a handsome spike of white, pink, or yellow flowers with six petals. White asphodel (Asphodelus albus) and pink asphodel, or onionweed (Asphodelus fistulosus), have white and pink flowers, respectively, and grow from 45 to 60 cm (1.5 to 2 feet) high. Branched asphodel (Asphodelus ramosus) and summer asphodel (Asphodelus aestivus) have pinkish white flowers and are very similar in appearance. Yellow asphodel, or king’s spear (Asphodeline lutea), has fragrant yellow flowers and is grown as a landscaping plant.
Bog asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum), of the family Nartheciaceae (order Dioscoreales), is a small herb growing in boggy places in Great Britain with rigid narrow leaves and a stem bearing a raceme of small golden yellow flowers. Members of the genus Triantha (family Tofieldiaceae; order Alismatales) are commonly known as false asphodel. Western false asphodel (T. occidentalis), native to mountainous bogs of western North America, was discovered to be a carnivorous plant in 2021.