Cynara is the botanical name of two vegetables known as the Globe Artichoke and the Cardoon. The Cardoon is, C. cardunculus, botanically. It's a tender perennial that can grow 6 to 8 feet high. It resembles its cousin, the Globe Artichoke, but the gray-green leaves overlap at the base. The wide, plump, edible stems form loose stalks or heads like celery.
Cardoons keep their vase shape until late in the season, when a branching central stem shoots up.
Several buds, which resemble small artichokes, grow atop this stem. These grow into purple thistle like flowers. C. scolymus, the Globe Artichoke, is a large, dark silvery-green perennial, which grows 3 to 4 feet high. The Artichokes, or Chokes, are the immature flower buds of this plant. The basal leaves are arching and elaborately cut.