chicory

Also known as: barbe de capucin; blue dandelion; blue sailors; bunk; French endive; succory; whitloof; witloof; coffee weed

A crop plant, a parent of cultivated chicory. The thick roots are also used to make a coffee substitute, and is sometimes seen naturalised. It has wiry, branching upright stems with numerous flowers distributed along the branches, growing tight to the stem, flowering throughout summer. They open in sunlight, but close in wet weather. The common form is a clear sky blue, but white and pink are also available. It is the original plant from which many types have been selected - Belgian chicory, Radicchio or red chicory, and Sugarloaf chicory