Chicory (Cichorium intybus)

Synonyms: Cichorium sylvestre, Cichorium rigidum

Common Names: Blue sailors, coffeeweed, succory, Italian dandelion, common chicory, blue daisy

Description:

Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is a deep-rooted plant from Europe and western Asia that was brought to North America as a food, forage, and coffee-substitute crop and has spread widely along roadsides and in disturbed ground [1][2]. It is easy to recognize in summer by its sky-blue, dandelion-like flowers held along tall, wiry stems [2]. MISIN tracks it because it self-seeds readily into roadsides, fields, and waste places, though it rarely pushes into healthy natural areas [2][3].

Habit:

Chicory grows from a deep, fleshy taproot and, like the whole plant, oozes a milky sap when broken [2]. In its first year it forms a low rosette of lobed, toothed leaves that look much like a dandelion's [2]. In later years it sends up tough, wiry, branched flower stems commonly 3 to 4 feet tall, sometimes taller, with much smaller leaves that clasp the stem [2]. The flower heads are the easiest clue: sky-blue (rarely pink or white), up to about 1? inches across, made entirely of strap-shaped petals (ray flowers), and set close against the stem in small clusters [2][4].

It is easiest to spot from mid-summer until the first frost, when the bright blue flowers open along the stems [2]. Time of day matters ? each flower lasts only a day, and the flowers usually open in the morning and close by midday, so they are easiest to see before noon [2]. Earlier in the season, look for the flat, dandelion-like rosette of leaves on roadsides and disturbed ground [2].

At-a-glance cues:

1. Sky-blue flower heads up to about 1? inches wide, made entirely of strap-shaped petals, set close against the stem [2][4]
2. Flowers open in the morning and close by midday [2]
3. Tough, wiry, branched stems 3 to 4 feet tall, with milky sap when broken [2]
4. First-year plants form a low, dandelion-like rosette of lobed, toothed leaves [2]

Leaves:

1. Arrangement: a basal rosette in the first year, then alternate leaves up the stem [2][4]
2. Shape: lance-shaped to widest above the middle; basal leaves up to about 8 inches long and dandelion-like [2][3]
3. Margin: irregularly toothed to deeply lobed; upper stem leaves are smaller, often unlobed, and clasp the stem [2]
4. Sap: broken leaves and stems ooze a milky, opaque sap [2][4]

Stems:

1. Habit: herbaceous (non-woody) perennial or biennial growing from a deep, fleshy, branched taproot; flower stems commonly 3 to 4 feet tall [2]
2. Form: tough, wiry, rigid, erect, and branched [2]
3. Surface: somewhat hairy, with milky sap [2]
4. Color: green, sometimes reddish-brown toward the base [3]

Flowers:

1. Color: sky-blue, occasionally pink or white [2]
2. Shape: flower heads up to about 1? inches wide, made up only of strap-shaped petals (ray flowers), about 7 to 20 per head [2][3]
3. Arrangement: stalkless or short-stalked, in clusters of 1 to 5 along the branches and at the stem tips [2]
4. Bloom time: mid-summer until the first frost; each flower lasts a single day, opening in the morning and closing by midday [2]

Fruit and seeds:

1. Fruit type: a small dry one-seeded fruit (achene), oblong with angled or ribbed sides and blunt ends [2][3]
2. Color: mottled brown [2]
3. Size: about 2 to 3 mm long, topped with a fringe of short scales [3][4]
4. Dispersal: seeds drop near the plant and spread in soil, on equipment, and in hay; new plants can also grow from pieces of the root [2]

Habitat:

Chicory is native to Europe, North Africa, and western and central Asia [1]. It was brought to North America as a crop and has become naturalized across much of the continent [2][5].

It is a plant of open, sunny, disturbed ground. Look for it along roadsides and railroads, in pastures and crop fields, and on vacant lots and other waste ground [2][3]. Its deep taproot lets it hold on in dry, compacted, and poor soils. It is common in these disturbed settings but does not typically move into healthy, undisturbed natural areas [2].

Reproduction:

Chicory spreads mainly by seed [2]. A plant produces many small seeds that fall close by and are easily carried farther in soil, on mowing and farm equipment, and in hay [2]. It can also regrow from pieces of its deep root, so digging that leaves root fragments behind can start new plants [2].

In its first year the plant makes only a leafy rosette; in later years it flowers from mid-summer until frost and sets seed soon after [2]. Because the taproot runs deep, plants come back year after year and are hard to pull out whole [2]. For control timing, the key is to cut or remove plants before the flowers set seed in late summer, and to dig out as much of the taproot as possible [2].

Impact and Damage:

For homeowners, chicory is mainly a persistent weed rather than a hazard. It is not toxic to people or pets ? in fact its leaves and roots have long been used as food, and its roasted root is a coffee substitute [2]. Its deep taproot makes it tough to remove from lawns, gardens, and driveway edges, and it can be a weed in pastures and crop fields [2][3].

For natural area stewards, chicory's impact is limited compared with aggressive invaders. It is a plant of roadsides and disturbed, open ground and does not typically invade healthy, undisturbed natural areas [2]. Where the ground is already disturbed it can form persistent patches that take up space, and it is treated as weedy or invasive in some places, but it is not a major threat to intact woods, prairies, or wetlands [2][3]. Tracking where it shows up still helps managers watch for spread into new openings.

Similar species:

A few common plants are mistaken for chicory. The surest checks are its sky-blue, strap-petaled flowers set close against tall wiry stems, its milky sap, and its dandelion-like first-year rosette [2][4].

Common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) has the same kind of lobed, toothed rosette leaves and milky sap, which makes young chicory easy to confuse with it. Dandelion stays low, with a single yellow flower on a leafless, hollow stalk, while chicory sends up tall, branched, leafy stems with blue flowers [2].

Prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola) is another tall weed with milky sap and lobed leaves that grows in the same disturbed places. It is told apart by its small, pale-yellow flower heads and its leaves, which often have a row of stiff prickles along the midrib underneath, unlike chicory's blue flowers [2].

Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), also called bachelor's button, shares chicory's blue color and one of its nicknames. It is easy to separate by its flower, a tight, fringed button-like head on a slender gray-green plant, rather than chicory's flat, strap-petaled blue flowers along a wiry stem [3].

Monitoring and rapid response:

Signs to watch for:

1. Tall, wiry, branched plants with sky-blue, strap-petaled flowers along the stems, mid-summer to frost ? best seen in the morning before the flowers close [2]
2. A low, dandelion-like rosette of lobed, toothed leaves on roadsides and disturbed ground earlier in the season [2]
3. Milky sap when a leaf or stem is broken [2]

What you can do:

1. Dig out small plants, getting as much of the deep taproot as possible, since chicory regrows from root pieces left behind ? easiest when the soil is moist [2]
2. Cut or pull flowering stems before the flowers set seed in late summer, and bag the seed heads [2]
3. Repeat over the season and into the next year, because the deep root sends up new growth after cutting [2]
4. On bare or disturbed ground, establishing dense, desirable plants helps, since chicory mainly takes hold where the soil is open and disturbed [2]
5. For natural areas, volunteer crews can dig scattered plants along trails, roadsides, and field edges, prioritizing new patches before they seed, with repeated visits to wear down the taproots [2]

When to call a professional:

1. Large or well-established stands in pastures or right-of-ways that keep returning from deep taproots after digging [2]
2. Situations where removing plants would leave bare, erosion-prone soil that needs a managed replanting plan [2]
3. For chemical control options, contact a licensed applicator or your local cooperative extension office.

Report sightings to MISIN. Help track this species' spread by submitting observations through the MISIN web site or the MISIN mobile app (Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS). Photos at multiple angles paired with a precise GPS location are the most valuable data for confirming new occurrences and triggering rapid-response review.

Credits:

1. Plants of the World Online (POWO), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Cichorium intybus L. powo.science.kew.org
2. University of Wisconsin?Madison Division of Extension. "Chicory, Cichorium intybus." Wisconsin Horticulture. hort.extension.wisc.edu
3. NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Cichorium intybus (Chicory, Blue Sailors, Succory). plants.ces.ncsu.edu
4. Native Plant Trust, Go Botany. Cichorium intybus (chicory). gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org
5. USDA NRCS Plants Database. Cichorium intybus L. plants.usda.gov

---