Cynara cardunculus
Artichoke Thistle, Cardoon
This huge thistle is a Mediterranean native and the ancestor of the globe artichoke, although some consider them to be the same species. Magickally, the thistle is, logically enough, good for protection and a fine symbol of strength and courage in the face of adversity.  As a thorny character, it is ruled by Mars, but this particular version has hermaphroditic flowers, so male and female aspects are combined--which perhaps accounts for why men who carry this magick herb are supposed to be better lovers. Dried thistles also make fine wands.  

Mundane Uses
The flower buds of this plant are smaller than those of globe artichoke and some people consider cardoon to have a more delicate flavor, tasting like a cross between artichokes and celery.  Like globe artichoke, cardoon is harvested just before the buds open.  They are usually boiled. The stalks are often blanched by mounding dirt up around them or wrapping them with leaves (how they did it in the 19th century). They are harvested and eaten raw in salads or cooked as a sort of celery.  In Italy the bitter raw stems are peeled and dipped in olive oil to eat. The young leaves, especially the midribs, can also be eaten raw or cooked; the ancient Romans favored this plant and made the leaves into salads or cooked them like spinach.  The leaves also make an anti-cholesterol tea.  The roots, which can get 6 feet long, are thick and tender and are cooked like parsnips.  The dried flowers can be used to curdle milk and make cheese, and they are also very nice for dried display, as they are humungous thistles.  A good partner for this plant is the Armenian basketflower, which gets yellow thistle-type blooms. Top

 How to grow artichoke thistle: Soak in room temp water overnight and sow 1/8" deep (press into moist soil and just barely cover).  The seeds germinate in 14-30 days at 70-72F/23C with good humidity.  Transplant to full sun and well drained soil 3 feet apart.  This plant is a perennial in southern Canada (zone 3) and all of the continental US (except the southern tip of FL).  The frost will kill the upper part of the plant, but the root will survive.  Heat makes this plant very bitter. This perennial can get up to 7 feet tall, although more usually it is about 4-5 feet tall, and the leaves, which can be very spiny, can be 3 feet long.  It likes to grow in open fields or old industrial sites in heavy soils.  The large, sturdy seed germinates year round and can live 5 years on the soil surface.  This plant usually flowers its second summer. It is invasive in some areas.   General growing info. Top 

This named variety should germinate more uniformly and grow into a more robust plant than the unnamed types. Its spines are blunted in comparison with the usual artichoke thistle, but it still gets the nice big purplish reddish thistle-type flowers.

Uses in Witchcraft & Magick:

Protection Spells
Courage
Magick Wands
Mars Herb

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