Gundelia

Spiny kankar is an Armenian spring delicacy – its young shoots and flower heads are gathered in the mountains and cooked like artichokes.

A spiny perennial of the daisy family, 20–50 cm tall, with a thick root, stiff pinnately lobed leaves edged with spines, and milky sap. In spring it forms round green flower heads with purple florets, which later dry out, break off and roll across the steppe like tumbleweeds. It grows on dry, stony slopes from Turkey and the Caucasus to Iran and Central Asia. The young shoots, leaves and unripe flower heads are edible, with a flavour reminiscent of artichoke or asparagus.

Significance in the country

Kankar is one of Armenia’s most prized wild food plants – in spring it is sold at markets in Yerevan and, stripped of its spines, added to omelettes, stews and egg dishes. The species name honours Tournefort, who described the plant while travelling in Armenia, and the genus name his companion, the physician Andreas Gundelsheimer.

Where it grows

On dry, stony mountain slopes and in the mountain steppes of central and southern Armenia – in the provinces of Ararat, Vayots Dzor, Syunik, Kotayk and Aragatsotn, usually at 1,000–2,000 m.

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