Sunflower ( Helianthus tuberosus ) native to North America and grown for its edible tuber s.
The aboveground part of the plant is a coarse, usually multibranched, frost-tender perennial, 710 ft (23 m) tall. The numerous showy flower heads have yellow ray flowers and yellow, brownish, or purplish disk flowers. The underground tubers vary in shape, size, and colour. Jerusalem artichoke is popular as a cooked vegetable in Europe and has long been cultivated in France as livestock feed. In the U.S. it is rarely cultivated.