Artichoke | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Asterales |
Family: | Asteraceae |
Genus: | Cynara |
Species: | |
Variety: | C. c. var. scolymus
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Trinomial name | |
Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus |
The globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus /ˈsɪnərə kɑːrˈdʌnkjʊləs ˈskɒlɪməs/),[1][2][3][4] also known by the names French artichoke and green artichoke in the United States,[5] is a variety of a species of thistle cultivated as food.
The edible portion of the plant consists of the flower buds before the flowers come into bloom. The budding artichoke flower-head is a cluster of many budding small flowers (an inflorescence), together with many bracts, on an edible base. Once the buds bloom, the structure changes to a coarse, barely edible form. Another variety of the same species is the cardoon, a perennial plant native to the Mediterranean region. Both wild forms and cultivated varieties (cultivars) exist.