The leaves are rough and hairy. Flowers of Jerusalem artichoke are yellow, gathered in baskets, with a slightly vanilla-chocolate fragrance. The fruit is an achene, 5-7 mm long.
The underground part of the plant is formed by thin, fibrous roots and stringy, whitish underground sessile stems reaching about 1.2 meters in length. At their ends, underground shoots of ellipsoidal or pear-shaped shape are formed.
