Crosne
Stachys affinis
Also called Chinese artichoke, Japanese artichoke and Knotroot
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitThe tubers look like little white grubs and taste like water chestnut. They are IMPOSSIBLE to get out of the ground completely, so it comes back for ever wherever it has been — grow it in a bucket or in a bed you have given up on.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 4 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Feed
- Every 30 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Hardy — a very cold winter RHS H6, to -20°C
- Size
- 0.5 m tall · 0.4 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- China
Is it safe for pets and people?
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
ASPCA's only "Stachys" entry is Phyllostachys, the bamboo, which is a different plant entirely; neither authority names this genus. That is an absence and not a clean bill.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-22. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- New shoots the following spring wherever it grew, from tubers too small to find. It is effectively impossible to clear — grow it in a bucket or in a bed you are content to give it.Coming back for ever · disorder
- Lifted tubers going soft and wrinkled within a day or two. They have almost no skin — leave them in the ground and dig as needed rather than storing them.Tubers drying out · disorder