Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Cynara

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Kingdom
  
Plantae

Subfamily
  
Carduoideae

Scientific name
  
Cynara

Rank
  
Genus

Order
  
Asterales

Tribe
  
Cynareae

Higher classification
  
Daisy family

Cynara wwwfinegardeningcomsitesfinegardeningcomfile

Lower classifications
  
Artichoke, Cardoon

Preparing globe artichoke plants for winter asteraceae cynara scolymus


Cynara is a genus of thistle-like perennial plants in the sunflower family. They are native to the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, northwestern Africa, and the Canary Islands. The genus name comes from the Greek kynara, which means "artichoke".

Among the species in this genus are:

  • Cynara cardunculus is the cardoon, artichoke thistle, or wild artichoke. The stems of cultivated varieties are used as food around the Mediterranean. It is a common source of a coagulant used as an alternative to rennet in the manufacture of cheese, with the advantage that the cheese is then fully suitable for vegetarians; many southern European cheeses are traditionally made in this way. The edible globe artichoke is usually considered to be an ancient cultigen of this plant. As an introduced species in California, Argentina, and Australia, it is a major pest.
  • Cynara humilis is a wild thistle of southern Europe and north Africa which can be used in cheesemaking like C. cardunculus.
  • Cynara scolymus is the edible globe artichoke. It differs from C. cardunculus in that the leaf lobes and inner bracts of involucre are less spiny.
  • Cynara cornigera leaves and flowers are eaten raw or cooked in Crete.

    • Cynara Cynara Wikipedia

    Cynara species are used as food plants by the larvae of many lepidopterans, such as the artichoke plume moth (Platyptilia carduidactyla), a pest of artichoke crops.

    Cynara FileCynara cardunculus 008jpg Wikimedia Commons

    C. cardunculus is being developed as a new bioenergy crop in the Mediterranean because of its high biomass and seed oil yields even under harsh conditions.

    Cynara Globe Artichoke Leaf Benefits
    Species
    1. Cynara algarbiensis - Spain, Portugal
    2. Cynara auranitica - Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Turkey
    3. Cynara baetica - Spain, Morocco
    4. Cynara cardunculus - cardoon - from Ireland + Canary Islands to Azerbaijan; naturalized in other regions
    5. Cynara cornigera - Greece, Libya, Cyprus, Egypt, Libya
    6. Cynara cyrenaica - Crete, Libya, Cyprus
    7. Cynara humilis - Spain, Portugal, Algeria, Morocco, Canary Islands
    8. Cynara makrisii
    9. Cynara scolymus (syn. C. cardunculus var. scolymus) - artichoke - area of origins unclear but probably Mediterranean; widely cultivated and naturalized
    10. Cynara syriaca - Cyprus, Iran, Lebanon, Syria
    11. Cynara tournefortii - Morocco, Spain, Portugal

    References

    Cynara Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA