Jerusalem artichoke
Helianthus tuberosus L. [Asteraceae]
Kiku-imo (キクイモ, 菊芋)
Lifeform: perennial forb
Distribution: native to the North America (exotic to Japan)
Habitat: woodlands, cultivated fields, roadsides, etc.
Chromosome number: 2n = 102
A couple of cultivars (e.g., boston red, dwarf sunray, fuseau, long red, and stampede)
Helianthus in Japan
Etymology
helios (sun) + anthos (flower)
All of them are exotic to Japan
H. annuus L. (ヒマワリ)
H. argophyllus Torr. et Gray (シロタエヒマワリ), escaped but not establsiihed
H. cucumerifolius Torr. et A. Gray (ヒメヒマワリ), escaped but not establsiihed
H. salicifolius A. Dietr. (ヤナギバヒマワリ), gardening
H. strumosus L. (イヌキクイモ)
H. tuberosus L. (キクイモ)
H. × multiflorus L. (コヒマワリ), gardening
The descriptions follow Shimizu (2003) and others
Helianthus tuberosus in Hokkaido
[Left] A patch at a park, N28/E4, Sapporo City, on August 30 2009. [Right] close-up of leaves at the edge of Keiteki-no-mori forest in Hokkaido University campus on August 31 2009. I have never seen the flower in the city of Sapporo. That may suggest that this species is vegetatively reprodued only in the region.
References
- HUSTEP: Plants and Plant communities in Japan
flora list - 北村四郎. 1977. コヒマワリ Helianthus × multiflorus L. Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 28: 180
- Murai M & Yoshida S. 1998. Evidence for the cell wall involvement in temporal changes in freezing tolerance of Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) tubers during cold acclimation. Plant and Cell Physiology 39: 97-105