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Cichorium
intybus L.
Standardized Common
Name: Chicory
Other Common Names: Blue Sailor,
Radicchio, Succory, Witloof
Family: Asteraceae
(Compositae)
Taxonomy: Cichorium includes seven Old World species, of which three,
including C. intybus, are found in Europe. This species is widely
cultivated and often naturalized as a weed.
Description: Perennial herb with
long taproot. Stem erect, branching, to 1.7 m high; leaves in basal rosette and
cauline. Rosette leaves oblanceolate, 10–35 cm long; base tapering to petiole;
apex acute or obtuse; margins deeply incised with outward-pointing or
reverse-pointing teeth, sinuate, or nearly entire; pubescent below at least on
the midrib. Cauline leaves lanceolate to oblong or oblanceolate; base
auriculate, somewhat clasping; apex acute; uppermost leaves tiny, entire. Heads
numerous, more or less sessile, borne in clusters of 1–3 widely spaced on stiff
branching inflorescences; involucre of 2(–3) whorls of phyllaries; outer whorl
(or 2) short, spreading; inner whorl cylindrical, narrow, 9–15 mm long. Florets
all ligulate, perfect; ligule to 2.5 cm long, 5-lobed at apex, usually bright
blue, rarely pink or white. Achenes 2–2.6 mm long, brown to nearly black;
pappus a crown of short scales.
Parts
in Commerce:
Root
Identification:
- Taproot long,
cylindrical, carrot-shaped, seldom branching, occasionally very thick (up
to ca. 10 cm at the top)
- Outer surface
brown, somewhat peeling, with occasional small rootlets; pale inside
- In
cross-section, epidermis and cortex slough off in older roots, leaving
periderm a few cells thick as the outer layer; most of root occupied by
secondary phloem with parenchyma and laticifers; central portion of xylem,
with primary xylem at center
- Secondary
phloem, especially inner portion, with wide rays of parenchyma and narrow
rays including phloem tissue and darker latex vessels, radiating outward
from center; rays also visible in secondary xylem as alternating vessels
and parenchyma, the whole giving a spoked appearance
- Outer part of
secondary phloem in larger roots becoming spongy
- Taste bitter
References:
Fernald ML. Gray’s Manual of Botany, 8th ed. New York: American Book
Company; 1950:1547.
Knobloch IW. 1954. Developmental anatomy of chicory
– the root. Phytomorphology. 1954;4:47–54.
Sell PD. Cichorium. In: Tutin TG, Heywood VH, Burges NA, et al.,
eds. Flora Europaea. Vol. 4. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press; 1976:304–305.
Figure 19: Cichorium intybus root cross-section.
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