Plant · P-294

Cardoon

Cynara cardunculus

Cardoon is a large, architectural thistle grown mainly as a serious liver and cholesterol remedy - its leaves contain cynarin, a well-studied compound used for liver and gall bladder complaints and to lower cholesterol. It is also a substantial vegetable: the blanched stems are eaten like celery, the flower buds and young leaves are edible, the roots cook like parsnips, and the dried purple flowers work as a vegetarian rennet for cheesemaking. It is a cool-season performer, planted in early autumn to build a strong root system before flowering the following spring, then collapsing back in the depths of summer heat before resprouting. Left to bloom, its huge purple flowerheads are one of the best nectar sources available, though the seed does need deadheading before it disperses on the wind.