Artichoke Thistle

Also known as Cardoon, Wild Artichoke, Cardone, Spanish Artichoke

Artichoke thistles form massive basal rosettes with deeply lobed, spiny gray-green foliage before throwing up thick flowering stalks topped with brilliant violet-purple flower heads. Native to dry Mediterranean basins, historical cultivation split the plant into distinct agricultural forms including cardoon and the cultivated globe artichoke. In regions such as California and southern Australia, escaped populations spread aggressively across rangelands, outcompeting native flora with deep taproots and dense shading.