Chicory is a perennial herb whose leaves are eaten as a vegetable or salad. The roasted and ground roots are used as a flavoring additive in or as a substitute for coffee. The plant is also grown as a fodder or herbage crop for cattle. Chicory is a member of the large herb, tree, and shrub family Asteraceae. Its scientific name is Cichorium intybus.
Native to Europe, chicory was introduced into the United States late in the 19th century. It is cultivated extensively in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany and to some extent in North America, where it has become a common wildflower. Chicory has a long fleshy taproot similar to a carrot. The rigid, branching, hairy stem grows to a height of about 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 meters). Lobed toothed leaves, similar in appearance to dandelion leaves, surround the base. Chicory produces numerous light blue flowers.