365 Urban Species. #184: Chicory
Photos by cottonmanifesto. Location: corner of Jamaicaway and Brookline Ave, Boston.
Urban species #184: Chicory Cichorium intybus
Sometimes solitary, sometimes in dazzling groups, chicory blossoms resemble blue dandelions. I don't wish to play favorites, but chicory is without a doubt my favorite urban wildflower. The color is hard to capture in a photograph, and hard even to describe. The light blue is luminous, with a touch of violet. It's pale but rich, turning traffic islands and vacant lots into unplanned gardens. Each plant may have several blossoms, but each blossom is short-lived. A picked chicory flower withers in minutes. On the plant, the blossoms open early in the morning and close between midday and early afternoon.
Chicory is an exceedingly common weed in the Northeast and elsewhere, and yet many people are surprised to learn that it grows wild in the city. Chicory has been cultivated in Europe for centuries, for a wide variety of uses. The foliage is used for salad greens and the root is used as a vegetable. The roots can be stored over winter and new greens grown from them for winter salad. In North America, chicory is most well known as an additive to, or substitute for, coffee. The root is roasted and ground to be used as a hot drink, which, though lacking caffeine, tastes similar to coffee. During wartime shortages, chicory was used to extend coffee supplies.
By golly, it will. Location: Castle Island Beach, South Boston.
