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Sunchoke
Habit (mature) · AnRo0002 / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
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Sunchoke
Helianthus tuberosus
A tall, tuber-forming perennial sunflower native to eastern North America — also called Jerusalem artichoke or sunroot — grown both for its 2-4 inch bright-yellow late-summer sunflowers and its knobby edible underground tubers. Rough-hairy stems rise 6-10 feet bearing ovate, serrate leaves on winged petioles. It spreads aggressively by rhizome and self-seeding to form colonies; Missouri Botanical Garden flatly calls it "weedy and invasive" and difficult to remove once planted.
Native: 44 US states + 2 CA provinces
Review: Source-backed
Climate fit: broad (84/100)
Structure
Edible
Pollinator
Light
Full sun / Part sun / Part shade
Water
Moderate water
Mature size
72-120" tall · 24" apart
Hardy in zones
3a-9b
brutally cold to frosty winters
Summer heat range
Mild-Hot
mild to hot summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.
Native in Illinois
Yes
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Native across 46 US states and Canadian provinces — a wide-ranging part of North America's plant communities.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Cold hardiness
Now
Zone 6b
USDA
Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer
Well-suited
2050
Zone 7b
Plotwright
Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)
Well-suited
In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.
Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Sunchoke (Helianthus tuberosus). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/sunchoke
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited18 source-backed.
Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder
Botanical research database
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
Growth stages
Lifecycle
Regional guidance
Success tips
Designer notes
Wikimedia Commons
Photo · CC0 1.0 — public domain dedication
Backs 1 field
Image
Community photos
The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.
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