Chicory, Radicchio, Succory, Witloof
Cichorium intybus

Family: Asteraceae or Compositae

What it is like

Bloom Color: Blue. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Early fall, Late summer, Late spring, Mid summer. Form: Upright or erect.

Cichorium intybus is a PERENNIAL growing to 1.5 m (5ft) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to October, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. The plant is self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 1.5

Where it is found

Grassy meadows and arable land, especially on chalk.

Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa and W. Asia.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Asia, Australia, Austria, Azores, Balkans, Belarus, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia, Brazil, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Canary Islands, Chile, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, East Africa, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Europe, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hawaii, Holland, Hungary, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mediterranean, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Africa, North America, Norway, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Spain, Swaziland, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tasmania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA, West Africa, Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Leaves - raw or cooked. The leaves are rather bitter, especially when the plants are flowering. The leaves are often blanched by excluding light, either by removing all the leaves and then earthing up the new growth, or by covering the plant with a bucket or something similar. Whilst this greatly reduces any bitterness, there is also a corresponding loss of vitamins and minerals. The blanched leaves are often used in winter salads (they are known as chicons) and are also cooked. The unblanched leaves are much less bitter in winter and make an excellent addition to salads at this time of year. A nutritional analysis of the leaves is available. Flowers - raw. An attractive addition to the salad bowl, but rather bitter. Root - cooked like parsnip. The boiled young roots form a very palatable vegetable. The root is said to be an ideal food for diabetics because of its inulin content. Inulin is a starch that cannot be digested by humans, it tends to pass straight through the digestive system and is therefore unlikely to be of use to a diabetic. However, the inulin can be used to make a sweetener that is suitable for diabetics to use. Chicory-root is free of harmful ingredients, and is essentially a concentrated combination of three sugars (pentose, levulose and dextrose) along with taraxarcine (the bitter principle of dandelion). It is especially important as source of levulose. Roots are used in seasoning soups, sauces and gravies, and to impart a rich deep colour. The roasted root is used as a caffeine-free coffee adulterant or substitute. Young roots have a slightly bitter caramel flavour when roasted, roots over 2 years old are much more bitter.

Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Coffee: the various substitutes that can be used instead of coffee.

Medicine

Rating: 3

Chicory has a long history of herbal use and is especially of great value for its tonic affect upon the liver and digestive tract. It is little used in modern herbalism, though it is often used as part of the diet. The root and the leaves are appetizer, cholagogue, depurative, digestive, diuretic, hypoglycaemic, laxative and tonic. The roots are more active medicinally. A decoction of the root has proved to be of benefit in the treatment of jaundice, liver enlargement, gout and rheumatism. A decoction of the freshly harvested plant is used for treating gravel. The root can be used fresh or dried, it is best harvested in the autumn. The leaves are harvested as the plant comes into flower and can also be dried for later use. The root extracts have experimentally produced a slower and weaker heart rate (pulse). The plant merits research for use in heart irregularities. The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Possessiveness', 'Self-love' and 'Self-pity'. The latex in the stems is applied to warts in order to destroy them. The German Commission E Monographs, a therapeutic guide to herbal medicine, approve Cichorium intybus for loss of appetite, dyspepsia.

Appetizer: Improves the appetite

Bach: Plants used in the Bach flower remedies.

Cardiac: Used in the treatment of heart problems.

Cholagogue: Increases the flow of bile and its discharge from the body.

Depurative: Eliminates toxins and purifies the system, especially the blood.

Digestive: Aids digestion.

Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.

Hypoglycaemic: Reduces the levels of sugar in the blood.

Laxative: Stimulates bowel movements in a fairly gentle manner.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Warts: Used in the treatment of warts, corns etc.

Other

Rating: 3

The roots have the potential to be used for the production of biomass for industrial use. They are rich in the starch 'inulin' which can easily be converted to alcohol. A blue dye has been obtained from the leaves. The flowers are an alternative ingredient of 'QR' herbal compost activator. This is a dried and powdered mixture of several herbs that can be added to a compost heap in order to speed up bacterial activity and thus shorten the time needed to make the compost. A dynamic accumulator gathering minerals or nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form - used as fertilizer or to improve mulch. Nectary, Insect shelter.

Biomass: Provides a large quantity of plant material that can be converted into fuel etc.

Compost: Plants used for activating compost heaps, providing biomass for composting, using as instant compost etc.

Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife

Dynamic accumulator: Plants that gather minerals or nutrients from the soil and store them in a more bioavailable form and in high concentration in their tissues. Used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Prefers a sunny position in any moderately fertile well-drained moisture retentive soil. Prefers a pH 5.5 to 7. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.5 to 8.3. Chicory grows on any type of soil but, when cultivated, grows best on mellow, deeply tilled, fertile soil or sandy loam.. A cool weather crop, it tolerates only moderate summer temperatures and requires well-distributed rainfall, with good drainage, or some irrigation in drier areas. Chicory roots deeply in relatively short time; soil too wet for beans and small grains is not suitable. To insure proper root-growth, apply lime or marl to acid soil to neutralize acidity. Chicory is reported to tolerate a pH in the range of 4.5 to 8.3, an annual rainfall of 30 to 400 cm and an annual mean biotemperature of 6° to 27°C. Chicory is an excellent winter salad. It is often cultivated, especially in Europe, for its edible leaves and for its roots which are used to make a coffee substitute. There are many named varieties and, by careful selection of cultivars and sowing times, fresh leaves can be obtained all year round. There are three main types of chicory grown for their leaves, there are many cultivars of each form: A bitter-tasting loose-leafed form is grown as a green winter vegetable, especially in southern Italy. A narrow-leafed, witloof or Belgian form has a compact elongate head (chicon) which is blanched for use in salads or cooked dishes. A broad-leaved (usually red) form produces cabbage-like hearts, these are generally less bitter than the other forms and are eaten raw or cooked. These forms are often used as a winter salad crop. Although a perennial, chicory is usually cultivated as an annual crop, especially when being grown as a winter salad. The winter salad cultivars are usually sown in early summer to make sure that they do not flower in their first year of growth. By late autumn they have formed an overwintering rosette of leaves rather like a cabbage. These leaves can be harvested as required during the winter and the plants will then usually make some new growth (as long as the winter is not too cold) that can be harvested in late winter or early spring. The plants run to flower in the following summer and fail to make an overwintering rosette of leaves for that winter. Chicory can be grown successfully in a meadow or even in a lawn so long as the grass is not cut too short nor too often. It often self-sows freely when well-sited, especially if it is growing in a dry alkaline soil. A good bee plant. A very ornamental plant. The flowers open in the early morning (about 6 - 7 o'clock in Britain) and close around midday. Special Features: Edible, Not North American native, Invasive, Naturalizing. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 8 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a clumper with limited spread. The root pattern is a tap root similar to a carrot going directly down.

Propagating it: Seed - sow the wild form or cultivars being grown for their roots in May or June in situ. Cultivars being grown for their edible leaves can be sown in April for a summer crop or in June/July for a winter crop. Sow them in situ or in pots and then plant them out as soon as they are large enough.

Best place to grow: Lawn; Meadow; Cultivated Beds; South Wall. By. West Wall. By.

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 3-7

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Excessive and continued use may impair function of the retina. Slight potential for sensitization

This plant can be weedy or invasive. An invasive species in several states in the USA.

Its other names

Local names

Blue daisy, blue dandelion, blue sailors, blue weed, bunk, coffeeweed, cornflower, hendibeh, horseweed, ragged sailors, succory, wild bachelor's buttons, wild endive. (Note: "Cornflower" is commonly applied to Centaurea cyanus.) Common names for varieties of var. foliosum include endive, radicchio, Belgian endive, French endive, red endive, sugarloaf, and witloof, witlof.

Synonyms

Cichorium balearicum, Cichorium cicorea, Cichorium commune, Cichorium perenne.