JERUSALEM artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)
Native to North America, the JERUSALEM artichoke is a species of sunflower that grows wild in East Gwillimbury...and, unfortunately, in my back garden. Yes, the blossoms are pretty but the plants are monsters that want to take over at an astonishing speed. They are very tall (up to 3 metres or 10 feet), gangly and tend to flop over in the wind. But they have at least one redeeming quality: the tubers have a nutty flavour and can be eaten - cooked like potatoes or raw sliced thin and eaten in salads.
FYI: the name JERUSALEM has nothing to do with the city in Israel but is a corruption of the Italian word for sunflower, girasole.
Monarch and bee on JERUSALEM artichoke
I am linking to Jenny Matlock at Alphabe-Thursday HERE
39 comments:
Pretty, pretty...I love that butterfly shot.
yours look different than the type i have growing at my pond. but the height is the same! :)
A great butterfly shot.
Pretty, pretty and delicious. I really like them!
I don't think that I have ever seen one before and certainly haven't tasted one! Lovely butterfly shot.
Wow, the butterfly is a beauty and contributes a great colour contrast!
God bless you!
Cezar
Beautiful flowers and beautiful visitors. Just lovely!!
Both pictures are pleasure for the eye!
Whilst I have heard of this plant always thought it was just some kind of vegetable not a pretty flower. Nice capture with the monarch and the bee. Paul at
My sign is no reflection.
It´s standing like this. It´s funny like you can only pass if you are laying (liegen).
Your flowers are very beautiful - perfect for this weeks PicStory theme: Flowers! So if you like join us. :) LG Tina
It´so so wonderful!
Have a nice day:)
Great post!
XOXO Lola:)
What a beautiful capture!!
beautiful picture and that's interesting about the name. do you dig the roots and use them?
Your photos are just perfect and the butterfly is especially nice... I've never tasted one of these but I'd give it a try....
Nice post
Sandy
What a beautiful plant, and surprisingly tall!
Beautiful photo of the butterfly.
That's great info about the Jerusalem artichoke. A strange name all the way around. I thought I'd see something to eat :0)
Very interesting :) Such a pretty flower! I think it's interesting that you can eat them.
I've heard of these but never seen a picture. They remind me so much of sunflowers...just so happy and sunny.
Our garden is always invaded by regular sunflowers which I pull out with wild abandon. Too bad you can't eat the roots of them as well.
Thanks for an interesting link this week.
This was Just so enjoyable.
A+
My favorite photo is the last one with the Monarch butterfly. YOu take lovely photos. You are right, the silver plated stuff goes really cheap, so folks thought I was painting sterling silver, no way! Thanks for reading my post.
Kaye,
They are best in autumn after a frost. I like them sliced in salads.
They are so pretty though! The bee and the butterfly seem to enjoy them! Learning something new today!
Beautiful blooms and butterfly photos!
Thanks for sharing this one...I love to learn how things are named and it was neat to hear about their edible tubers!
Blessings & Aloha!
It is so neat to see how similar things are to children all over the world, such as games like Rock, paper, scissors :o) Thank you for coming by!
I don't believe I've ever heard of these before. Beautiful pictures.
The second photo with the monarch butterfly is a real work of art! Lovely!
So do you dig the tubers up and cook them after weeding the garden?
I have heard that the tubers are good to eat. So tell us--have you ever cooked and eaten any? Your photos are wonderful!!
Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, they're certainly a pretty backdrop for bees and butterflies!
I've got a little crop of these growing, but haven't harvested any of them yet. Is there a particular time of the year that you dig them up if you want to eat them?
I have heard of this type of artichoke before, but I am not sure I have ever seen one before. Wonderful pictures!
It is beautiful but if it spreads everywhere it is not good.
Beautiful with the butterfly.
That second shot is amazing, maybe you could enter it in a contest!
Equisite photos, EG!
so beautiful.
Gorgeous photos!!! That's so interesting. I don't even think I have those flowers here. Maybe but not so sure. We definitly have the cucumbers coming off and squash, too. We took a chance and planted early here. The end of March!!! Now I've got an early harvest coming off. LOL Thanks for stopping by Acorn Hollow.
What spectacular photographs. If Jerusalem artichokes attract Monarch butterflies, I guess I might have to let them have a spot in my garden...if there were some way to control their spread!
My Alphabe Thursday is at:
http://rnsane.blogspot.com/2011/06/alphabe-thursday-j-is-for-jasmine-june.html
Simply lovely! :)
I didn't know that about Jerusalem Artichoke. Gorgeous shots - perfect summer scene.
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