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Have you ever sent someone a bouquet of artichokes?
It’s worth thinking about, but given that artichokes resemble THIS WHEN THEY’RE BLOOMING, it might seem a little strange:
They don’t bloom that quickly because it’s a time-lapse video, though. Its still terrifying, though.
The large perennial plant known as an artichoke, also known by the names globe or French artichoke, is native to the western and central Mediterranean region. It is a relative of chrysanthemums, dahlias, and sunflowers (Jerusalem artichokes, which are tubers, aren’t actually an artichoke at all). Advertisement.
The long leaves of the artichoke plant were used in the medieval era, likely for medicinal purposes as they are sources of antioxidants; the Italians started using the artichoke head and heart in dishes as early as 1400.
To grab the part of the artichoke youd want to eat, youd pick the bulb before it blooms, then take it home and either bake, boil or steam it — see s of flowering artichokes, as well as our favorite recipes to use them, below.
What plants are related to artichokes?
The main edible component of the immature flower head is the fleshy base from which these flowers emerge. The artichoke is related to thousands of other species, including thistles, sunflowers, lettuce, salsify, and chrysanthemums.
This is the time of Sunflowers – they’re blooming everywhere. A few years ago, my friend Susan Marie wrote a wonderful children’s picture book about a sunflower: To Be Like the Sun. The book is the story of the life of a sunflower – a garden sunflower. So, for Susan Marie, this is pictures and information about some of our native sunflowers.
Most sunflowers are in the genus Helianthus. Helianthus is a combination of the Greek words helios, which means “sun,” and anthos, which means “flower.” This one is Tall Sunflower – Helianthus giganteus. It grows in wet sunny places. Our flowers typically face east, toward the rising sun, unlike cultivated sunflowers, whose plants don’t really orient toward the sun.
This sunflower is soaking up the sun. It’s a Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus). Jerusalem artichokes are actually sunflowers, not artichokes, but they both belong to the Compositae plant family, which also includes artichokes. Tuberosus, which refers to the thick, fleshy, edible roots, means “thickened roots.” Sunflowers are indigenous to the Americas, and Native Americans used to grow Jerusalem artichokes as a crop. The roots are sometimes available in supermarkets. The plants grow in woodland edges.
Similar to other members of the Composite Family, sunflowers are actually a collection of flowers in a single large head. The ray flowers surround the outside of the head; each has one long, strap-like “petal” and a tiny tube that holds the flower’s components. Numerous tubular flowers with no showy petals can be found in the flat center of the head. The nectar and pollen from each flower are extracted by insects after they land on the head.