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Helianthus Tuberosus
Herbaceous perennial plant 4' 10" to 9 -10 inches.Member of the daisy family it is native to Eastern North America. It is also called sun root, sun choke, earth apple or topinambour. Leaves are rough and hairy, larger at the bottom of the stem and smaller at the top. Flowers look a lot like a daisy and can be 2--3.9 inches in diameter.
They are widely cultivated. I have them in my garden.
The tubulars of this plant are edible. they are elongated and resemble ginger root in appearance.They vary in color from pale brown to white, red or purple. One cup has 650mg of potassium. They can be sliced thin and put in salads or steamed. It's better not to boil them. May cause flatulence and in some cases, gastric pain. In Germany 90% of the tubulars are used to make a liquor called Topinambur
Spotted on Sep 19, 2011
Submitted on Sep 22, 2011
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