Chicory

Not to be confused with Cichorium endivia.
For the 2021 video game, see Chicory: A Colorful Tale.

Common chicory
Blue-flowered form
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Cichorium
Species:
C. intybus
Binomial name
Cichorium intybus
Synonyms[1][2]
Synonymy
  • Cichorium balearicum Porta
  • Cichorium byzantinum Clementi
  • Cichorium caeruleum Gilib.
  • Cichorium cicorea Dumort.
  • Cichorium commune Pall.
  • Cichorium cosnia Buch.-Ham.
  • Cichorium divaricatum Heldr. ex Nyman
  • Cichorium glabratum C.Presl
  • Cichorium glaucum Hoffmanns. & Link
  • Cichorium hirsutum Gren.
  • Cichorium illyricum borb.
  • Cichorium officinale Gueldenst. ex Ledeb.
  • Cichorium perenne Stokes
  • Cichorium rigidum Salisb.
  • Cichorium spinosum Salisb.
  • Cichorium sylvestre Garsault
  • Cichorium sylvestre (Tourn.) Lam.
Botanical illustration (1885)

Common chicory (Cichorium intybus)[3] is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Native to Europe, it has been introduced to the Americas and Australia.[4]

Many varieties are cultivated for salad leaves, chicons (blanched buds), or roots (var. sativum), which are baked, ground, and used as a coffee substitute and food additive. In the 21st century, inulin, an extract from chicory root, has been used in food manufacturing as a sweetener and source of dietary fiber. Chicory is also grown as a forage crop for livestock.

  1. ^ "Cichorium intybus L. synonyms". Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  2. ^ "Cichorium intybus L." The Plant List. 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  3. ^ "Cichorium intybus". FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. Archived from the original on 2013-05-23. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  4. ^ "Cichorium intybus L." Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 18 February 2023.