IDENTIFICATION
Perennial.
Chicory has blue (sometimes purple or white) flowers which spring
from the angles of the upper leaves and stem and are usually closed by
midday. Lower leaves are rough, lance-shaped, and dandelion-like and upper
leaves are smaller, clinging directly to the stem. Mature plants can be
up to 2 metres tall and contain a milky juice.
DAMAGE
Dairy products from cows that eat chicory may taste bitter. It
invades disturbed areas as well as native plant communities. The milky
latex may cause dermatitis in humans.
HABITAT
Chicory is often planted for salad greens, and the root is used
as a substitute for coffee. It is found from low- to mid-elevations on
the BC coast and on Interior grasslands and forests. It frequents roadsides,
fields, and disturbed habitats in southern areas of the province.
SPREAD
Chicory is spread by seed.
