Chicory
Cichorium intybus L.
Images
Click on image to view full size
Morphology
- Stem
- Erect, branching.
- Leaves
- Alternate, glabrous, sessile to short-stalked; principal leaves oblanceolate, 3 to 14 inches long, .8 to 2.8 inches wide, pinnately-lobed or toothed to nearly entire; uppermost leaves reduced to rigid, entire bracts.
- Inflorescence
- Heads, to 1.6 inch across, numerous, short-stalked to sessile, 1-3 in upper leaf axils or some heads terminal on long branches; raceme-like.
- Flower
- Showy, bracts in 2 series, outer fewer than inner, about 1/2 as long, with whitish bases and green tips; florets all ligulate, fertile, corolla blue, lavender or rarely whitish; disk florets absent.
- Fruit
- Achenes, glabrous, obscurely ridged, tipped with numerous minute scales, enclosing small seed.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Waste areas, disturbed sites and roadsides.
- Distribution
- throughout Kansas, but more common in east 1/2.
Practical Information
- Uses
- Chicory foliage has been used for salad greens and the root as a coffee substitute. Native Americans boiled the roots to make a wash for fever sores and steeped the roots to create a nerve tonic.
Additional Notes
Comments
The flower heads open in the early morning and close around noon on bright days, later on cloudy days. Chicory will give a bitter taste to milk when consumed by dairy cattle. It has a long taproot.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- 1-5 feet
- Origin
- Native
- Last Updated
- 2007-11-21
Color Groups
Blue, Purple, Lavender & Violet Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: July, August, September