chicory
Family
AsteraceaeScientific Name
Cichorium intybus
Other Common Names:
blue sailors
coffeeweed
succory
Synonyms (former Scientific Names):
Cichorium intybus L. var. sativum
Cichorium intybus var. foliosum
Habit
Germination begins late spring to early summer; however, the plant has very rapid growth and begins flowering as early as June and as late as September.
Leaves
Early on, a basal rosette forms but is absent later on during flowering. Leaves are alternate, rough haired and larger at the bottom. Upper leaves are 3-7 cm long, stalkless, and clasp the stem. Basal leaves can be 10 to 20 cm long and 2 to 12 cm wide. Margins are irregularly toothed and lobed. Rosette leaves are similar to dandelion but they are hairy and rough.
Identifying Characteristics
It is a tall plant with purple flowers, milky sap and rought hairs on the leaves and stems.
Flower Seed Head
Flowers appear in clusters of 2-5 blooms at the leaf axils or stem nodes. They are small and green to white on long slender stalks.
Seed Fruit
Fruit are small egg-shaped capsules with three chambers. The seeds harbored in those chambers are very small, dark brown, flattened, and kidney-shaped.
Where Found
It infests road sides, disturbed areas, railroads, and some agronomic and forage fields throughout the US and in parts of Canada.
Growth Habit
upright and nonwoody
Thorns or Spines
not present
Approximate Flower Diameter
Varies:
quarter,
half dollar,
larger
Dominant Flower Color
blue
Flower Symmetry
radial symmetery
Leaf Hairs
has hairs
Leaf Shape
Varies:
lance,
triangle
Leaf Arrangement
Varies:
alternate,
rosette
Leaf Margin
lobed
Leaf Structure
simple
Leaf Stalk
none
Stem Hairs
has hairs
Stem Cross Section
round or oval
Milky Sap
present
Root Structure
Varies:
fibrous,
taproot
Life Cycle
perennial
Ochrea
not present
Plant Type
Herb