Stachys affinis Seeds | Chinese Artichoke Chorogi Knotroot Artichoke
LATIN NAME: Stachys affinis
COMMON NAME: Chinese Artichoke
Plant Profile
Stachys affinis, better known as Chinese Artichoke, is a perennial in the mint family. The Chinese artichoke is white knob of winter kitchen, and small, pink-purple flowers open in loose whorls along the stems. Tubers have a long record as fine, crisp winter vegetable of old tables, and plant is a fine, generous presence of kitchen garden. It is a plant of open, sunny, deep, moist, well-drained ground. Its flowers draw a steady traffic of bees and other beneficial insects. These traits together are what have kept the plant in gardens for so long.
Science & Biotechnology
Botanists studying the mint family regularly include Stachys affinis in comparative work, and the species also appears in horticultural trials aimed at gardeners and growers. The upshot for anyone sowing it is reassurance — cultivated stock of this plant has a long, well-documented track record.
Uses & Benefits
Chinese Artichoke brings genuine presence to the garden and earns its keep across the growing season. The Chinese artichoke is a fine, generous plant of kitchen garden and herb bed. It is a fine, generous plant of open, sunny, deep, moist, well-drained garden. Give young plants deep, moist bed, and white knobs will form in the first winter. Given the right start, it carries on with minimal intervention.
Lamb’s ears are silver tactile groundcovers, and betony, their cousin, was the great European head herb of the old herbals; Chinese medicine uses the artichoke-like tubers of Stachys affinis as a pickled delicacy, crosnes.
Growing from Seed
Seed is the natural starting point for Chinese Artichoke, and the process is uncomplicated. Sow on the surface of a gritty, well-drained mix, cover lightly with fine compost, and maintain gentle, even moisture in a sunny position. When the young plants are big enough to handle, space them into pots or a nursery row and let them size up before their final move.
Our Take
As a perennial, it settles into a routine quickly once established. The traditional uses covered above are what first made this species worth cultivating. Established seedlings need little beyond ordinary attention.
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