Cichorium endivia
Cichorium endivia L.
| Order | Asterales |
|---|---|
| Family | Asteraceae |
| Genus | Cichorium |
2n = 18, 36
Origin : Europe
cultivated
| English | endive |
|---|---|
| French | chicorée scarole et chicorée frisée |
- very popular salads : curled and broad-leaved endive
- Up to the XIXe century, the species was named endive in French, but this name now designates in France Cichorium intybus Witloof Group, whereas the Wallon Belgians continue to name endive this species and chicon the Witloof Group.
Contents
Description
1, plant habit; 2, leaf of endive; 3, leaf of escarole. Source: PROSEA
top view of plant habit
flowering plant
flowering top of plant
- annual herbaceous plant, much branched, up to 1,7 m high
- taproot
- leaves oboval, entire or lobed, glabrous or slightly puberulent
- heads solitary or by 4-6, sessile or pedonculate
- pedoncle thickened at apex
- involucre with lanceolate, reflected bracts
- flowers all ligulate, blue
- fruit: achene, obovoid to cylindrical, slightly ribbed
Popular names
- See French local names in Flore populaire of Eugène Rolland
- See Dutch local names in Plantennamen in de Nederlandse Dialecten (PLAND)
Classification
Cichorium endivia L. (1753)
Cultivars
No complete system of botanical classification has ever been published, and many cultivar groups have remained unknown to botanists. We follow here a pragmatic classification on a use base.
Chicorée blanche Group
synonym :
- var. endivia
- var. angustifolium Lam. (1785)
- French: chicorée blanche
- German: Schnittendivie
This primitive form has quite disappeared.
Scarole Group
synonym : var. latifolium Lam. (1785)
- English: endive, broad-leaved endive
- French: scarole, chicorée scarole
- See the names in all the European languages
flower
close-up of a broad-leaved endive
Scarole blonde (Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1904)
Scarole en cornet (Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1904)
Scarole grosse de Limay (Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1904)
Scarole ronde (Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1904)
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Curled Endive Group
synonyme : var. crispum Lam. (1785)
- English: curled endive
- French: chicorée frisée
- See the names in all the European languages
curled endive
Chicorée frisée d'Anjou (Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1904)
Chicorée frisée d'hiver (Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1904)
Chicorée frisée de Meaux (Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1904)
Chicorée frisée de Picpus (Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1904)
Chicorée frisée de Ruffec (Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1904)
Chicorée frisée fine de Louviers (Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1904)
Chicorée frisée fine de Rouen (Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1904)
Chicorée frisée grosse pancalière (Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1904)
Chicorée frisée impériale
Chicorée frisée parisienne (Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1904)
Chicorée frisée toujours blanche (Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1904)
Chicorée mousse (Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1904)
History
Cichorium endivia is not found in a wild stage. De Candolle (1882) thought that its wild progenitor was Cichorium pumilum Jacq. More recent authors consider it more likely as a hybrid between Cichorium intybus and Cichorium pumilum, agreement being reached on the botanical affinity of both species of cultivated chicories.
Uses
- See Plantes potagères of Vilmorin (1904)
- See the nutritional composition (French CIQUAL Tables) of broad-leaved endive and of curled endive.
