Cynara is a genus of thistle-like perennial herbs in the family Asteraceae (order Asterales), described by Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum of 1753. The genus comprises roughly ten to twelve wild species, all native to the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East, northwestern Africa, and the Canary Islands — a range centered on the dry, rocky scrubland and seasonally arid hillsides of the Old World's warm-temperate zone.
Plants in the genus are robust, deeply lobed or pinnate-leaved perennials with stout stems, silvery-green foliage, and large, thistle-like flower heads bearing violet-purple disc florets. The fleshy bracts and receptacle of the immature flower head are the edible parts in cultivated forms. The two best-known members are Cynara cardunculus, the cardoon or artichoke thistle, and its cultigen Cynara scolymus, the globe artichoke — one of the most widely grown vegetable crops in Mediterranean and temperate horticulture. Several other species, including C. humilis, have been used traditionally in cheesemaking: enzymes extracted from the flowers act as a plant-based rennet substitute, making cheeses fully suitable for vegetarians. C. cardunculus is additionally being developed as a bioenergy crop in the Mediterranean owing to its high biomass and seed-oil yields under drought conditions. Cynara species also support lepidopteran larvae, including the artichoke plume moth (Platyptilia carduidactyla), a recognised pest of artichoke cultivation.
Etymology
The genus name Cynara derives from the ancient Greek kynara, meaning "artichoke". Linnaeus formally published the name in Species Plantarum in 1753.
Distribution
Cynara species are native to the Mediterranean region, the Middle East (Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Turkey), northwestern Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Spain, Portugal), and the Canary Islands. Cynara cardunculus has become naturalized and invasive in parts of the United States, Argentina, and Australia.
Cultivation
The globe artichoke (C. scolymus) and cardoon (C. cardunculus) are the principal cultivated members of the genus, grown across Mediterranean climates and warm-temperate regions worldwide for their edible flower heads and blanched stems respectively. C. cardunculus is also under development as a bioenergy crop for its high biomass and seed-oil output under harsh, drought-prone conditions.
Cultural Uses
Cynara species have been important food and craft plants around the Mediterranean for millennia. The globe artichoke (C. scolymus) is eaten worldwide; the cardoon (C. cardunculus) supplies edible stems and a natural coagulant used instead of animal rennet in traditional southern European cheesemaking, producing fully vegetarian cheeses. Cynara humilis is used similarly. In Crete, the leaves and flowers of C. cornigera are eaten raw or cooked.
