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Cynara cardunculus

Perennial

HomePerennialCynara cardunculus

Stony or waste places and in dry grassland, usually on clay.

Family: Asteraceae
Height: 2 m / 7 ft
Sun
Light, Medium and Heavy Soil
Dry to Moist

Plant Rating

Edible Uses: 3 of 5
Medicinal Uses: 5 of 5
Other Uses: 1 of 5

Native Habitat

Cardoon Cynara cardunculus native habitat is Stony or waste places and in dry grassland, usually on clay.

Edible Uses

Flower buds - raw or cooked. A globe artichoke substitute. The flower buds are a bit smaller than the globe artichoke and so are even more fiddly to use. The buds are harvested just before the flowers open, they are then usually boiled before being eaten. Only the base of each bract is eaten, plus the 'heart' or base that the petals grow from . The flavour is mild and pleasant and is felt by some people to be more delicate than the globe artichoke. Stems - cooked and used as a celery substitute. It is best to earth up the stems as they grow in order to blanch them and reduce their bitterness, these blanched stems can then be eaten cooked or in salads. In Italy raw strips of the stems are dipped into olive oil. We find these stems to be too bitter when eaten raw. Young leaves - raw or cooked. Eaten as a salad by the ancient Romans. Rather bitter. Root - cooked like parsnips. Tender, thick and fleshy, with an agreeable flavour. The dried flowers are a rennet substitute, used for curdling plant milks.

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