Artichokes

Seedheads of Artichoke Thistle
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Cynara
Species
see text
Ref
Cynara is a genus in the Family Asteraceae of about 10 species of thistle-like perennials originally from the Mediterranean, northwestern Africa, and the Canary Islands.

  • Cynara cardunculus is the Artichoke thistle or Wild artichoke, in some places called the Cardoon and used as a food. The edible Artichoke may be an ancient cultigen of this plant. As an introduced species in California, it is a major pest.
  • Cynara scolymus is the edible Artichoke or Globe artichoke. It differs from C. cardunculus in that the leaf lobes and inner bracts of involucre are less spiny

References

  • Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The Plant Book. A portable dictionary of the higher plants. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 706 p. ISBN 0 521 34060 8.
  • Robbins, W.W., M. K. Bellue, and W. S. Ball. 1970. Weeds of California. State of California, Dept. of Agriculture. 547 p.