Cichorium intybus L.

Posted byTrajche DimitrovskiPosted inCompositae, Plant families

Taxonomy: Fam. Compositae// Genus: Cichorium// Species: Cichorium intybus L.

Determined according to the botanical key provided by Sell (1976 in Tutin et al.).

Lifeform: Perennial plant. Hemicryptophyte according to the Raunkiær system.

Distribution: Native from Europe to Central Asia and West Himalaya, Macaronesia to North Africa according to the distribution information provided by the Plants of the World Online portal (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew).

Habitat: Clearings of forests, pastures, disturbed ground, roadsides and other ruderal areas.

Flowering period: Summer to fall (JUN, JUL, AUG, SEP).

Locality: ridge between the gorges of “Golema” River and “Orizarska” River near village of Krushka. Date: 08.08.2022.

Cichorium intybus – habit. Osogovo, mountain ridge between the gorges of “Golema” River and “Orizarska” River near village of Krushka, 08.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – habit. Osogovo, mountain ridge between the gorges of “Golema” River and “Orizarska” River near village of Krushka, 08.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – capitulum. Osogovo, mountain ridge between the gorges of “Golema” River and “Orizarska” River near village of Krushka, 08.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – capitulum. Osogovo, mountain ridge between the gorges of “Golema” River and “Orizarska” River near village of Krushka, 08.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – capitulum. Osogovo, mountain ridge between the gorges of “Golema” River and “Orizarska” River near village of Krushka, 08.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – capitulum. Osogovo, mountain ridge between the gorges of “Golema” River and “Orizarska” River near village of Krushka, 08.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – florets. Osogovo, mountain ridge between the gorges of “Golema” River and “Orizarska” River near village of Krushka, 08.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – florets. Osogovo, mountain ridge between the gorges of “Golema” River and “Orizarska” River near village of Krushka, 08.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – capitulum. Osogovo, mountain ridge between the gorges of “Golema” River and “Orizarska” River near village of Krushka, 08.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – involucre of capitula. Osogovo, mountain ridge between the gorges of “Golema” River and “Orizarska” River near village of Krushka, 08.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – involucre of capitula. Osogovo, mountain ridge between the gorges of “Golema” River and “Orizarska” River near village of Krushka, 08.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – stems with leaves. Osogovo, mountain ridge between the gorges of “Golema” River and “Orizarska” River near village of Krushka, 08.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – stems with leaves. Osogovo, mountain ridge between the gorges of “Golema” River and “Orizarska” River near village of Krushka, 08.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

Locality: gorge of Kochanska River. Date: 22.01.2023.

Cichorium intybus – plant senescence. Gorge of “Kochanska” River, 22.01.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – plant senescence. Gorge of “Kochanska” River, 22.01.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – stem with fruiting capitula. Gorge of “Kochanska” River, 22.01.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – capitula with achenes. Gorge of “Kochanska” River, 22.01.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – capitula with achenes. Gorge of “Kochanska” River, 22.01.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – capitula with achenes. Gorge of “Kochanska” River, 22.01.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – basal leaves. Gorge of “Kochanska” River, 22.01.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – basal leaves. Gorge of “Kochanska” River, 22.01.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – adaxial side of leaf. Gorge of “Kochanska” River, 22.01.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – adaxial side of leaf. Gorge of “Kochanska” River, 22.01.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – achenes. Gorge of “Kochanska” River, 22.01.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

Locality: hilly region near village of Beli. Date: 21.09.2020.

Cichorium intybus – habit. Hilly region near village of Beli, 21.09. 2020. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – capitula. Hilly region near village of Beli, 21.09. 2020. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus -capitulum. Hilly region near village of Beli, 21.09. 2020. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus  – flowering capitulum and fruiting capitula. Hilly region near village of Beli, 21.09. 2020. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

Locality: hills near Kochani. Date: 05.07.2020.

Cichorium intybus – habit. Hills near Kochani, 05.07.2020. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – habit. Hills near Kochani, 05.07.2020. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – hills near Kochani, 05.07.2020. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – capitula. Hills near Kochani, 05.07.2020. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Cichorium intybus – stems with cauline leaves and plant base with basal leaves. Hills near Kochani, 05.07.2020. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

References:

Cichorium intybus. Greuter, W. 2006+: Compositae (pro parte majore). – In: Greuter, W. & Raab-Straube, E. von, Compositae. Euro+Med PlantBase – the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Published at https://europlusmed.org/. https://europlusmed.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/67bbde84-961e-4725-8879-ebadf4662efe [Accessed 10.03.2026].

Cichorium intybus L. Plants of the World Online portal, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:194533-1 [Accessed 24.01.2023].

Sell, P. D. 1976. Cichorium L. In Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A. (eds.), Flora Europaea. Volume 4: Plantaginaceae to Compositae (and Rubiaceae), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 304–305.

Last update: 10.03.2026.