Artichoke Artichoke The globe artichoke ("Cynara cardunculus" var. "scolymus") is a variety of a species of thistle cultivated as a 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. This vegetable grows
Artichoke substituting Cynar for Campari. Artichoke leaf extract has been investigated for its potential to lower cholesterol levels for people with hypercholesterolaemia. A 2013 meta-analysis found it to have a modest effect on reducing cholesterol levels, but with results not compelling enough to recommend its use as a treatment for hypercholesterolaemia. More research was recommended. The globe artichoke genome has been sequenced. The genome assembly covers 725 of the 1,084 Mb genome and the sequence codes for about 27,000 genes. Understanding of the genome structure is important to understanding traits of the globe artichoke, and may aid in the identification of