Genus Cynara L. Classificazione scientifica Kingdom: Plantae Subkingdom: Tracheobionta Superdivision: Spermatophyta Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Subclass: Asteridae Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Subfamily: Cynaroideae (Durande) Chevall., 1828 Tribe: Cynareae Lam. & DC., 1806 Genus : Cynara L. (1753) The genus Cynara L. comprises the following seven species: • the crop complex C. cardunculus L. which includes wild forms as well as cardoon cultivars; • C. scolimus L., as the artichoke globe or cultivated artichoke; • C. syriaca Boiss.; • C. cornigera Lindley; • C. cyrenaica Maire & Weiler, • C. algarbiensis Cosson, C. baetica (Spreng.) Pau; • C. humilis L. All are native to the Mediterranean basin. The closest wild relatives of the domestic vegetables are the “wild cardoon” forms of C. cardunculus that are fully inter-fertile with the cultivated varieties; and are now ranked conspecific with the crop, and identified as the wild stock from which the domestic varieties could have been derived. These wild forms comprise the primary wild gene pool (GP1) of the cultivated artichoke. The other six wild Cynara species are more distant. A crossing programme involving five of them (C. cyrenaica was not tested) showed that they are largely cross-incompatible with C. cardunculus complex, and the rare inter-specific F 1 hybrids recovered were mostly semi-sterile. Moreover, these wild Cynara species have also diverged from C. cardunculus isozymically. They are, therefore, regarded as comprising the secondary wild gene pool (GP2) of the artichoke crop. This paper surveys the taxonomy and geographical distribution of the various wild Cynara taxa; and summarizes the available information on the genetic affinities between the crop and its wild relatives. Other study affirm that the genetic affinities between the cultivated artichoke Cynara cardunculus L. var. scolymus (L.) Flori (= C. scolymus L.) and its wild relatives were tested by means of a crossing programme. The following wild taxa were involved: 1) wild cardoon C. carcundulus L. var. sylvestris (Lamk) Fiori; 2) C. syriaca Boiss.; 3) C. cornigera Lindley; 4) C. algarbiensis Cosson; 5) C. baetica (Spreng.) Pau (= C. alba Boiss.); 6) C. humilis L. Only the wild cardoon was found to be fully cross-compatible and fully infertile with the crop. In contrast, all other five wild Cynara species turned to be almost fully-or fully-cross-incompatible with the crop, and the few interspecific F 1 hybrids recovered were partly or almost fully sterile. These finds establish the wild cardoon as the wild ancestor of the cultivated vegetable. The species of genus Cynara are the following: Cynara alba Cynara algarbiensis Cynara auranitica Cynara baetica Cynara cardunculus Cynara cornigera Cynara cyrenaica Cynara humilis Cynara hystrix Cynara scolymus Cynara syriaca Cynara alba Cynara cornigera Cynara cornigera Cynara cornigera Cynara cornigera Cynara humilis .