Wikipedia Article About Chinese Artichoke on Wikipedia Out of the several unrelated species of vegetable all called artichokes, the Jerusalem artichoke is an unusual sight on the allotment or vegetable plot, but the Chinese artichoke or knotroot is distinctly rare. From a cultivation standpoint this is rather odd — the Chinese artichoke is easier to grow, requiring neither staking nor earthing-up. The primary reason that Chinese artichokes are so unpopular is the nature of the tubers — small, convoluted and indented, so that it is the cook rather than the gardener or the family who finds this vegetable extraordinarily frustrating to clean. That Chinese artichokes are available only from Fall until early Spring, and the root's short shelf life out of the ground are two other important reaso