Chicory

Growth habit

Herbaceous

Perennation

Long-lived perennial

Native distribution

Not Native to the Finger Lakes Region, Northern Africa, Asia, Europe; Naturalized Globally

Biocultural value

The cooked roots were eaten by ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans to aid digestion after rich meals. Leaves yield a clear blue dye color.

Location

Mundy Wildflower Garden, Robison Herb Garden, Coy Glen, McLean Bogs, Ringwood Ponds

Source of plant

Richters

Description

Perennial 30-120cm, with a long and thick taproot. Stems rigid, grooved, glabrous. Basal leaves 7-30 x 1-20cm, oblanceolate, runcinate-pinnatifid to toothed shortly petiolate, sparsely hairy below, stem leaves sessile, amplexicaul, sparsely dentate to entire. Capitula sessile, 2.5-3.5cm diameter; peduncles to terminal capitula slightly swollen; involucre 11-14 x 4-10mm; outer phyllaries ovate-lanceolate, spreading, inner lanceolate, twice as long as outer, erect; ligules bright blue, occasionally pink or white. Fruit 2-3cm; pappus one-tenth to one-eighth as long as fruit.

USDA Hardiness Zone

3

Special characteristics

food, medicinal/pharmaceutical, other ethnobotanical uses

Status

L4|SNR|GNR