From Wikipedia: 

“The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.), also called the sunroot or sunchoke or topinambur, is a flowering plant native to North America grown throughout the temperate world for its tuber, which is used as a root vegetable.”  

Here is my mother’s crop of “topinambur” which grows near her driveway.  A Cajun delight, the tuber/root is cooked in stews and gravies, or pickled. When plants finish flowering, the stalks dry up. Then the tubers can be dug up, cleaned and prepared.   

Pretty flowers– But the real treat is beneath the ground.