Cichorium spinosum
Cichorium spinosum L.
Cichorium spinosum, the spiny chicory, is a biennial or perennial plant in the Asteraceae family. It is native to the Mediterranean region and can grow up to 20 cm tall. The plant is collected in the wild and also cultivated as a leafy green vegetable.
Description
Cichorium spinosum is a perennial herb or subshrub, 5-15 cm tall, with flowering stems that are sulcate, glabrous, and spinescent. Leaves are narrow, lyrate to runcinate, and mostly found at the base of the stem. The synflorescence consists of 1 to 5 heads, with each head containing 5-7 flowers. The corolla is typically blue, with a ligule 9.0-12.0 mm long. Achenes are cylindrical to turbinate, 1.5-2.5 mm long, and ribbed. The pappus is white and up to 0.4 mm long. This species is native to the East Aegean Islands, Greece, Italy, Sicily, Libya, Malta, Spain, Crete, Turkey, and Cyprus.
Distribution
East Aegean Is. · Greece · Italy · Sicilia · Libya · Malta · Spain · Kriti · Turkey · Cyprus
Synonyms
Acanthophyton spinosum
