Cynara. Cynara Scolymus L. (Artichoke).—This is a composite plant, indigenous in the south of Europe, and cultivated as a culinary vegetable. The receptacle and the lower portion of the fleshy leaflets of the flower-heads are eaten. When young, the heads are cut up raw and eaten as salad; when older, they are boiled, and dressed variously. The flowers are said to curdle milk, and the plant to yield a good yellow dye. The leaves and their expressed juice are very bitter, and have been thought to be actively diuretic. Cynara Cardunculus, the cardoon of the garden, very much resembles the artichoke. The stalks of the leaves are used as a vegetable in France. Artichoke leaves have been used in dropsies and rheumatic affections.