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Jerusalem artichoke sunflower

Jerusalem artichoke sunflower

8.8
A tall plant with knobby edible tubers grown for food
  • noun
  • /ˌdʒəˈruːsələm ˈɑːrtɪˌtʃoʊk ˈsʌnˌflaʊər/
  • US
translation icon : girasol alcachofa de Jerusalén
  • She harvested several Jerusalem artichoke sunflower tubers from her garden for making soup.

Examples

  • The Jerusalem artichoke sunflower is often grown in home gardens.

  • The Jerusalem artichoke sunflower is cultivated for its knobby, edible tubers in many regions.

  • Farmers appreciate the Jerusalem artichoke sunflower for its hardiness and ability to thrive in poor soils.

  • Many people enjoy the flavor of Jerusalem artichoke sunflowers.

  • Gardeners often grow Jerusalem artichoke sunflowers for their delicious tubers and beautiful yellow flowers.

  • The Jerusalem artichoke sunflower is known for its ability to thrive in poor soil conditions.

  • For a healthy snack, try roasting the tubers of the Jerusalem artichoke sunflower until they are golden brown.

Synonyms

sunchoke
vsJerusalem artichoke sunflower
  • US
1 9.5

A crunchy pale root vegetable from a sunflower, eaten raw or cooked

describes the whole plant with stems and leaves rather than only the tuber
Jerusalem artichoke
vsJerusalem artichoke sunflower
  • US
1 7.7

A plant with knobby edible roots eaten as a vegetable

focuses more on the plant's physical and cultivated traits than cooking use
Helianthus tuberosus
vsJerusalem artichoke sunflower
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall plant like a sunflower that people grow for edible tubers

is the common descriptive account used in general contexts
girasol
vsJerusalem artichoke sunflower
  • UK
9.9

A tall plant with edible knobby roots that people eat like potatoes, also called Jerusalem artichoke

gives the detailed botanical and cultivation description rather than the name

Surface Forms

Morphology

Jerusalem + artichoke + sunflower

The phrase clearly signals a plant (sunflower) related to or named with 'artichoke', so a B1 learner who knows 'artichoke' and 'sunflower' would infer it is a kind of plant and possibly edible. However, the historical use of 'Jerusalem' is arbitrary (not indicating geographic origin) and the specific sense—a tuber-producing Helianthus species—cannot be fully derived from the parts. Because some information is recoverable from the constituents but key semantic details are unpredictable, this is best classified as semi-transparent.

Etymology

Jerusalem artichoke sunflower gets its name from a simple picture: it is a kind of sunflower with large, knobbly edible roots that taste a bit like an artichoke. One popular story says the word 'Jerusalem' came from the Italian word 'girasole', which means 'sunflower', so the name links the flower's look with its artichoke-like roots.