What Does Artichoke Mean?

Artichoke is a kind of vegetable which is commonly known as Globe Artichoke and prevalent only in very few places of the world. But in some countries some other vegetables are also attributed with the name of artichoke; Jerusalem artichoke is a species of sunflower while the Chinese artichoke is a species of woundwort whose tuber is the edible part.
         
Globe artichoke is a perennial plant that is a native of the southern part of Europe but it is found in the US also as the migrant from Italy took it there. It is cooked whole by removing some stem. Its edible part is the base of the artichoke head and is referred as vegetable, because it is usually harvested well before the fruit develops.