Jerusalem artichoke
Stem with flowers
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Tribe: Heliantheae Genus: Helianthus Species: H. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Magnoliopsida is the Botanical name for a class of Flowering plants By definition the class will include the family Magnoliaceae, but its The Asterales are an order of Dicotyledonous Flowering plants which include the composite family Asteraceae ( Sunflowers daisies The family Asteraceae or Compositae (known as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family) is the largest family of Flowering The tribe Heliantheae is the most familiar tribe of the Sunflower family ( Asteraceae) The Helianthus L Genus comprises 67 species and several subspecies in the Asteraceae family all of which are native to North America tuberosus
Binomial name
Helianthus tuberosus L.

The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus), also called the sunroot or sunchoke or topinambur, is a species of sunflower native to eastern North America, from Maine west to North Dakota, and south to northern Florida and Texas. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for The Helianthus L Genus comprises 67 species and several subspecies in the Asteraceae family all of which are native to North America The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean North Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern and Western regions of the United States of America. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. ^[1] It is also cultivated widely across the temperate world for its tuber, which is used as a root vegetable. Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store Nutrients They are used by Plants to overwinter and regrow the next year Root vegetables are plant roots used as Vegetables Other underground plants are often erroneously called root vegetables ^[2]

It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1. A herbaceous plant (or in botanical use a Herb) is a Plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of A perennial plant or perennial ( Latin per, "through" annus, "year" is a Plant that lives for more than 5–3 m tall. the leaves are opposite on the lower part of the stem, alternate higher up; the larger leaves on the lower stem are broad ovoid-acute and can be up to 30 cm long, the higher leaves smaller and narrower; they have a rough, hairy texture. In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. The flowers are yellow, produced in flowerheads 5–10 cm diameter, with 10–20 ray florets, and are thought to smell like milk chocolate. A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also An inflorescence is a group or cluster of Flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main Branch or a complicated arrangement of branches The tubers are gnarly and uneven, typically 7. Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store Nutrients They are used by Plants to overwinter and regrow the next year 5–10 cm long and 3–5 cm thick, and vaguely resembling ginger root, with a crisp texture when raw; they vary in color from pale brown to white, red or purple. Ginger is commonly used as a cooking spice throughout the world ^[2][3]

Etymology

Jerusalem artichoke flowers

Despite its name, the Jerusalem artichoke has no relation to Jerusalem, and it is not a type of artichoke, though they are in the same family. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the The Globe Artichoke ( Cynara cardunculus) Globe Artichokes are known to have been cultivated at Naples around the middle of the 9th century and The name Jerusalem is due to folk etymology; when the Jerusalem artichoke was first discovered by Europeans it was called Girasole, the Italian word for sunflower. Folk etymology is a term used in two distinct ways A commonly held misunderstanding of the origin of a particular word a False etymology. The sunflower ( Helianthus annuus) is an Annual plant in the family Asteraceae and native to the Americas, with a large flowering The Jerusalem artichoke is a type of sunflower, in the same genus as the garden sunflower Helianthus annuus. Over time the name Girasole transformed into Jerusalem, and to avoid confusion some people have recently started to refer to it as sunchoke or sunroot, which is closer to the original Native American name for the plant.

The artichoke part of the Jerusalem artichoke's name comes from the taste of its edible tuber. Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store Nutrients They are used by Plants to overwinter and regrow the next year Samuel de Champlain, the French explorer, sent the first samples of the plant to France, noting that its taste was similar to an artichoke. The Globe Artichoke ( Cynara cardunculus) Globe Artichokes are known to have been cultivated at Naples around the middle of the 9th century and

History

Jerusalem artichokes were first cultivated by the Native Americans (who called them "sun roots") long before the arrival of the Europeans; this extensive cultivation makes the exact native range of the species obscure. For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. ^[1] The French explorer Samuel de Champlain found them being grown at Cape Cod in 1605. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Samuel de Champlain (c 1575 - 25 December 1635) "The Father of New France " was a French navigator geographer cartographer Cape Cod (or simply the Cape to most New Englanders is a Peninsula nearly coextensive with Barnstable County Massachusetts and forming the easternmost

Cultivation and uses

Young plants in a garden

Unlike most tubers, but in common with other members of the Asteraceae (including the artichoke), the tubers store the carbohydrate inulin (not to be confused with insulin) instead of starch. The family Asteraceae or Compositae (known as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family) is the largest family of Flowering Inulins are a group of naturally occurring Polysaccharides (several simple sugars linked together produced by many types of plants Insulin is a Hormone with intensive effects on both metabolism and several other body systems (eg vascular compliance Starch, CAS # 9005-25-8 Chemical formula (C6H10O5n is a Polysaccharide For this reason, Jerusalem artichoke tubers are an important source of fructose for industry. Fructose (also levulose or laevulose) is a simple reducing Sugar ( Monosaccharide) found in many foods and is one of the three The crop yields are high, typically 16–20 tonnes/ha for tubers, and 18–28 tonnes/ha green weight for foliage. This article is about the tonne or metric ton For other tons see Ton. Explanation The hectare is commonly used in most countries around the world especially in domains concerned with land planning and management such as Agriculture, Jerusalem artichoke also has a great deal of unused potential as a producer of ethanol fuel, using inulin-adapted strains of yeast for fermentation. Ethanol fuel is Ethanol (ethyl alcohol the same type of Alcohol found in Alcoholic beverages. Inulins are a group of naturally occurring Polysaccharides (several simple sugars linked together produced by many types of plants Yeasts are a growth form of eukaryotic Microorganisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with about 1500 Species currently described ^[2].

Jerusalem artichokes are easy to cultivate, which tempts gardeners to simply leave them completely alone to grow. However the quality of the edible tubers degrades unless the plants are dug up and replanted in fertile soil. This can be a chore, as even a small piece of tuber will grow if left in the ground, making the hardy plant a potential weed.

Jerusalem artichokes

The tubers have a consistency much like potatoes, and in their raw form have the same taste as potatoes except with crispness and a slight powdery note. The carbohydrates give the tubers a tendency to become very soft and mushy if boiled, so it is, as with most vegetables, best to steam them lightly to preserve their texture. The inulin is not well digested by some people, leading to the misconception that sunchokes are not edible or an assumption that they cause flatulence and gastric pain. Gerard's Herbal, printed in 1621, quotes the English planter John Goodyer on Jerusalem artichokes:

"which way soever they be dressed and eaten, they stir and cause a filthy loathsome stinking wind within the body, thereby causing the belly to be pained and tormented, and are a meat more fit for swine than men. " ^[4]

Jerusalem artichokes are sold in the produce departments of many supermarkets. They are usually pre-packaged in a plastic tray labeled for specialty food sales, but some stores carry them loose in baskets or bins, where they look like kiwi-sized gnarled potatoes or ginger root. The freshest roots are plump and vibrant in appearance. If they are left too long in the open, they become wrinkled and soft and can develop a bitter taste. Fresh ones, properly steamed, have a mild, sweet and nutty flavor that requires no additional sauce or condiment to accentuate it.

Jerusalem artichokes have 650 mg. potassium per 1 cup (150g) serving. The cup is a unit of measurement for volume used in cooking to measure bulk foods such as Granulated sugar (dry measurement and liquids ( Fluid measurement They are also high in iron, and contain 10-12% of the US RDA of fiber, niacin, thiamine, phosphorus and copper. The Dietary Reference Intake (or DRI is a system of Nutrition recommendations from the Institute of Medicine (IOM of the US National Academy of Sciences ^[5]

Liquor

In the Baden-Württemberg, Germany, over 90 percent of the Jerusalem artichoke root is used to produce a spirit called "Topinambur“, "Topi“ or „Rossler“. Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states ( Bundesländer) of the Federal Republic of Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

Rossler

References

External links

• Helianthus tuberosus - Plants for a Future database
• Jerusalem artichoke - Ohio Perennial & Biennial Weed Guide
• Complete nutritional info.
• Alternative Field Crops Manual: Jerusalem Artichoke