chicory

chicory (chĭk`ərē) or succory (sŭk`ərē), Mediterannean herb (Cichorium intybus) of the family Asteraceae (aster family), naturalized in North America, where the tall stalks of usually blue flowers are common along waysides and are known as blue-sailors. It is extensively grown in Europe for its root, which, roasted and powdered, is used as a coffee substitute and adulterant. Chicory is also used as a potherb and salad plant; the common type that is blanched for salads is witloof, or French endive. True endive (C. endivia), a salad vegetable since antiquity, is cultivated in several broad-leaved and curly-leaved varieties. It is also called escarole. Chicory is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Asterales, family Asteraceae.

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chicory

Blue-flowered perennial plant (Cichorium intybus) of the composite family. Native to Europe, it was introduced to the U.S. late in the 19th century. Chicory has a long, fleshy taproot; a rigid, branching, hairy stem; and lobed, toothed leaves, similar in appearance to dandelion leaves, around the base. Both roots and leaves are edible. The roots are used as a flavouring in or substitute for coffee. The plant is also grown as a fodder or herbage crop for cattle.