Cichorium intybus       0

This is a perennial herb, 10-150cm, unarmed rhizomatous glabrous or hairy, greenish or glaucous, sometimes reddish in the lower half. The rhizome is 10-20mm in diameter, oblique or vertical, generally long and thick, fibrous, frequently branched at the apex, whose branches each give rise to a rosette of leaves. The stems are 2-6mm in diameter at the base, longitudinally ribbed, generally branched, usually densely hairy at the base and in the axils of the nodes, with multicellular hairs of 1-3mm, patent or retrorse, sometimes with glandular hairs of 0.3-0.5mm in the upper half, rarely glabrous, green, reddish or glaucous.

The basal leaves are 10-30 x 2-5.5cm oblanceolate attenuated on a petiole generally narrow and shorter than the length of the blade, entire or toothed, but usually pinnatifid to pinnatisect, frequently runcinate with the terminal lobe acute or obtuse, larger than the lateral ones, glabrous, but more frequently hairy, at least on the underside with multicellular hairs or papillae of 0.1-0.7mm on their surface, and 0.2-1mm on the underside, especially in the median nerve. The lower cauline leaves are similar in size and shape to the basal leaves, the middle and upper ones are sessile, auriculate, subamplexicaule, generally toothed, smaller than the lower ones, the most superior ones, 0.5-2cm wide, bracteiform, ovate-caudate, surrounding the glomeruli of capitula.

It has sessile and pedunculated capitula arranged along the stem in a cymose and complex inflorescence, sometimes the sessile ones forming glomeruli of 2-5 capitula surrounded by involucre leaves, multiflorous, with 12-17 flowers. The peduncles are 1-2mm in diameter at the base and 2-5mm at the apex, under the involucre, subcylindrical. The involucre is 9-12 x 3-6mm, cylindrical. The bracts are arranged in 2 series, the outer bracts much smaller than the inner ones. The outer bracts 5-7 x 1.5-2.5mm, elliptical, acute, strongly leathery in the lower half, with an elliptical and white callus, herbaceous in the upper half, with the margin scarious and toothed or denticulate, glabrous. The inner ones are 9-10 x 1-2mm, narrowly elliptical, obtuse, herbaceous, with a membranous margin in the lower half, setose-hispid on the back, especially on the median nerve near the apex, sometimes with glanduliferous hairs 0.3-0.5mm at the margin of the apex. The receptacle is alveolate, flat, glabrous, sometimes with some spicules on the margin of the alveoli. The corolla of the outermost flowers of the capitula is 15-26mm, blue, rarely pink or white. The tube is 2-3mm, hairy, with multicellular hairs of 0.3-0.5mm. The limb is 13-24mm, hairy at the base and on almost the entire back, even on the teeth. The anthers are 4-5.5mm, bluish. The style branches are 2.5-3mm, bluish, sometimes blackish or yellowish with desiccation.

The achenes are 2-2.5 x 1-1.3mm, ovoid or conical, weakly trigonal, with 3 ribs, 1 ventral and 2 lateral, frequently with purple, glabrous, brown or yellowish transverse scales, with pappus. Pappus formed by 1 or 2 rows of white, obtuse or acute scales of 0.1-0.2mm without edges.

It is edible thanks to its leaves, flowers and roots. Young shoots and flowers are eaten raw in salads. To eat the more mature leaves, they must first be cooked in two waters so that they can then be eaten in a sauce or mixed with other plants, for example. The roots, once cleaned, cut and put in the oven can be used as a coffee substitute.

Medicinal plant
The root, flowers and seeds have mild tonic (for the liver and digestive system), stomachic, depurative, diuretic, cholagogue and febrifuge properties. It also has mild laxative properties which are therefore suitable for children. It is used to stimulate appetite, to treat gout, hives, rheumatism and inflammation of the lining of the stomach and respiratory organs. It is also used to counter declining or intermittent fevers, hematuria, dropsy, mild chronic conditions, laziness of the liver, scurvy, jaundice, hepatic colic, hypochondria and hysteria. In application, the leaves are calming and refreshing which helps to treat, among other things, boils, abscesses, local inflammations and anthrax. Infusion of the leaves also helps digestion.

- Chicory Inulin: A Versatile Biopolymer with Nutritional and Therapeutic Properties, Malik, and Rehman, Reiaz. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants 2021 pag. 373-390. DOI
- Dictionnaire des plantes médicinales et vénéneuses de France, Paul-Victor Fournier. 2010 pag. 263-264. ISBN
- Flora iberica, Santiago Castroviejo. 2010 Vol. 16(2) pag. 1311-1312. ISBN
- Larousse des plantes médicinales, A. Chevallier. 2019. ISBN
- Medicinal and aromatic plants of the world, Zeenath Banu . India 2024 Vol. 3 pag. 113-130.
- Plantes comestibles, cueillette & recettes des 4 saisons, C. Anglade, G. Lalière, C. Leray. 2012 pag. 44. ISBN
- PlantZafrica, Marinda Koekemoer. National Herbarium Pretoria 2017. Cichorium intybus

- Flora iberica, Santiago Castroviejo. 2010 Vol. 16(2) pag. 1308-1316. ISBN

Indigenous plant
Biological type: plant
Frost resistance: 5ºF
Leaf color: dark green
Flower color: bleu
Reproduction mode: hermaphrodite plant whoes flowers produce both male and female gametes

Specifications for the Mediterranean basin
Adult size (h x w): 2,6ft x 2,6ft
Sun exposure: full sun (Sun hours: >6h
Foliage: semi-evergreen
Growth: fast
Flowering time from July until September

Specific information for our garden
Planting substrate: 20%Compost+40%Clay+40%Sand
Plant watering: 1x a week pH 6.5
Logical sequence of containers for: Perennials; forestry plate 8cm, 1L container, 2L forestry pot, 6L container, 55L container
Propagation is done by root division

Ecology in its country of origin
Rainfall: 500-1000mm

SPRING Sow the seeds at 3mm depth in the Well Drained Seed Sowing Mix between 59-68°F. During germination keep the substrate moist and in daylight. The seeds germinate in 1-3 weeks.

Germination references
- Contribution for the selection of Mediterranean indigenous forbs as a new ornamental crop, Ponte-e-Sousa, C and Farinha, N and Castro, MC. 2010 pag. 113-120. Address
- PlantZafrica, Marinda Koekemoer. National Herbarium Pretoria 2017. Cichorium intybus
- Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and, Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, Baskin, Carol & Baskin, J.M. 2014 pag. 1-1586. DOI
- The effect of cold stratification on germination in 28 cultural relict plant species, Jonatan Leo. 2013. Address

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- Pépinière Arom'Antique (Cichorium intybus)
- Pépinières Travers (Cichorium intybus 'De Louviers')
- Pépinières Travers (Cichorium intybus)
- Pépinières Travers (Cichorium intybus 'Rouge de Vérone')
- Pépinières Travers (Cichorium intybus 'De Saint Laurent')
- Pépinières Travers (Cichorium intybus 'Witloof Normale')
- Pépinières Travers (Cichorium intybus 'De Meaux')