Helianthus tuberosus
Jerusalem artichoke
Family Asteraceae
About
Jerusalem artichoke, or sunchoke, is a perennial sunflower from central North America grown across temperate regions for its edible, knobbly tubers.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Light
- Full sun gives the most flowers; partial shade is tolerated. General guidance for the genus
- Propagation
- Tuber pieces with 3–5 buds, planted 5–10 cm deep; seed also works but gives lower yields.
- Mature size
- 1.5–3 m tall.
- Hardiness
- Dormant tubers tolerate about −30 °C (−22 °F).
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Morphology
Grows 1.5–3 m tall with rough, hairy leaves up to 30 cm, opposite below and alternate above. Yellow heads 5–10 cm across smell briefly of vanilla and chocolate. Tubers are 7.5–10 cm long, uneven and ginger-like.
Distribution & habitat
Native to central North America; spread east and west by Indigenous cultivation and naturalised in Europe after colonists sent tubers there.
Cultivation notes
Usually grown from tuber pieces with 3–5 buds planted 5–10 cm deep. It needs little nitrogen, outcompetes weeds and yields heavily, but leftover tubers resprout and are hard to clear. Tubers survive winter down to −30 °C.
History & etymology
Neither from Jerusalem nor an artichoke; the name probably comes from girasole, Italian for sunflower. Tubers store inulin rather than starch and are eaten raw, cooked or pickled.
Conservation
Assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- United States
- IUCN status
- Least concern
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- easy
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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