The varieties of asparagus are basically classified according to their colour. The traditional varieties have been replaced by other more productive or larger varieties.

There are varieties which are cultivated to obtain white asparagus, forming high ridges over the plant, avoiding direct sunlight and thus preventing the processing of chlorophyll. There are green asparagus and violet asparagus as well.

The varieties adapted for the production of white asparagus come, in general, from the selection of Dutch asparagus. The quality of these varieties is determined by several characteristics, such as yield, size, fibrousness and earliness. Among these varieties we distinguish the traditional and the modern ones produced nowadays.

The traditional varieties are those which have been cultivated for many years in each region, perfectly adapted to each climate. In Spain stand out "Blanco de Navarra’, "Argenteuil", and " Darbonne-4 ".

Among the new varieties introduced in the last few years there are "Desto’, " Cito’ and Larac".

The varieties used for green culture are different from the previous ones. The main characteristic of these varieties is that the buds of the turion take a long time to develop, in order to avoid the spicate. Some of the most known varieties are "Mary Washington", "UC-157 " and "Plaverd".