Asteraceae

Cichorium intybus

Common Names: Chicory

Plant Form: Perennial rosette herb. Size: 30-120 cm tall. Stem: Grooved and either hairless or withshort crisped hairs. Leaves: Oblong to lance-shaped 9-30 cm long with toothed and lobed edges. Narrow to a sheathing base near stem. Becoming smaller higher up plant, ultimately reducing to tiny scale leaves. Flowers: Bluish or pale purplish, rarely white, with strap like petals arranged in a circle on a head. Dandelion-like (but blue). Fruit and Seeds: Simple dry fruit with scaly parachuting hairs above. Habitat: Roadsides, waste areas, grasslands, riparian areas.