Crop research. Researcher Jean-Yves Peyron holding culture tubes containing seedlings of the Chinese artichoke plant (Stachys affinis). This plant is grown for its edible tubers. The Chinese artichoke is native to Japan and China. It was introduced to Europe in 1882 to the village of Crosne, France, but is not widely known. This laboratory is part of ENTHIP (France's national horticultural school) in Angers, France. Peyron is working on preserving the heritage and diversity of cultivated crops and vegetables, and improving their flavour and their yield and resistance to disease.