Stachys affinis

Stachys affinis, commonly called crosne, Chinese artichoke, Japanese artichoke, knotroot, or artichoke betony, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Lamiaceae, originating from China. Its rhizome is a root vegetable that can be eaten raw, pickled, dried or cooked.[1]

S. affinis is a perennial herbaceous plant with red to purple flowers and reaches a height of 30 – 120 cm.[1] The green leaves are opposite arranged on the stem. The rough, nettle-like leaves can be ovate-cordate shaped with a width of 2.5 – 9.5 cm or ovate-oblong with a width of 1.5 – 3.5 cm. The leaves are separated into a leaf blade and a petiole. The petiole has a length of 1 – 2 cm and becomes shorter towards the stem apex.[1] Similar to the potato, S. affinis grows rhyzomes which are approximately 8 cm long and 2 cm thick. By medullary primary growth they thicken primarily on the internodes and less on the nodes. This way at irregular intervals constricted tubers are formed, which are usually thinner on both ends. The tubers are coby covered with a thin, pale-beige-to-ivory skin. The flesh underneath is white and tender.[1]