Asteraceae FAMILY
Cichorium endivia
Cichorium endivia
Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5
Safety & Hazards
None known
Botanical Description
Cichorium endivia is an erect, annual to biennial plant growing up to 170cm tall. When young, the plant forms a rosette of leaves about 30cm tall, producing a central, branched stem when it flowers and sets seed. The plant has a thick taproot[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. The plant is often cultivated, mainly in the temperate zones of Europe and N. America, for its edible leaves. It is sometimes grown in the tropics as a substitute for lettuce.
Habitat & Origin
Origintemperate; tropical
Native RangeProbably originating in the eastern Mediterranean region, the plant is only known from cultivation.
HabitatRocks and sand by the sea[ 89 Title Flowers of the Mediterranean. Publication Author Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Publisher Hogarth Press Year 1987 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1 Description A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses. ].