Artichoke

Artichoke
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Cynara
Species:	C. cardunculus
Variety:	C. c. var. scolymus
Trinomial name
Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus L.

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 U.S.,^[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.