What Flowers Look Like Artichokes?

Several kinds of flowers look like artichokes, but the one that most resembles them is the cardoon, a mostly decorative thistle species that sometimes features in Italian cooking.

Types of Flowers

Cardoons and several other thistle species strongly resemble artichokes, which also belong to the thistle family, according to a 1949 article from National Geographic, republished by Texas A&M University.

Cardoon Flowers

Cardoon flowers appear very much like artichokes, including the distinctive appearance of the outer leaves. Out of this faux artichoke sprouts a spray of beautiful purple petals.

Eating Cardoons

Don't be fooled: cardoon flowers look like artichokes, but the flower is not this plant's tasty secret. That would be the stalks, which are more visually similar to celery. Prominent chef Mario Batali recommends baking them with Italian spices.

Thistle Family Flowers

Other Artichoke Look-alikes

Protea flowers have petals with sharp points and an overlapping appearance, like artichokes.

Artichokes, and the thistle family in general, are all subspecies of asteraceae, according to the University of Hawaii botany department. As such, resemblance occasionally extends to other asteraceae species like tarweed.

References

• National Geographic: Our Vegetable Travelers; Victor R. Boswell; 1949
• Mario Batali, Food Network: Baked Cardoons (Cardi al Forno)
• UH Botany: Flowering Plant Families