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Cichorium endiva - L.

Endive

Author	L.	Botanical references	200
Family	Compositae	Genus	Cichorium
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	S. Europe to E. Asia - India.
Habitat	Rocks and sand by the sea[89].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	2 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Biennial growing to 1m by 0.3m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves.

Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 16, 27, 33, 46, 52, 171]. Leaves of wild plants are very bitter but there are many named forms with only a slight bitterness[183]. The leaves are quite large and often form a rosette like cabbages. They are very easy to harvest. Endive makes a very acceptable addition, in moderate quantities, to the salad bowl, though the leaves are too bitter for most tastes to be used as the main salad leaf[K]. The leaves are often blanched (by excluding light from the growing plant) in order to reduce this bitterness[200], though this process also reduces the nutritional value of the plant[K].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Demulcent; Febrifuge; Resolvent; Stomachic; Tonic.

The plant is used as a resolvent and cooling medicine, and in the treatment of bilious complaints[240]. It has a similar but milder effect to chicory (Cichorium intybus) and so is a very beneficial tonic to the liver and digestive system[254]. The root is demulcent and tonic[240]. It has been used in the treatment of dyspepsia and fevers[240]. The fruit (this probably means the seed[K]) has been used in the treatment of fevers, headaches, bilious complaints and jaundice[240].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Succeeds in any moderately fertile well-drained soil[200]. Prefers a medium to light sandy or gravelly soil that is rich in humus[1, 34, 37]. Prefers a sunny position[200] but with light shade in the summer to prevent plants running to seed[33]. Tolerates a pH in the range 5.3 to 8.3. Endive is often cultivated, especially in Europe, for its edible leaves[46], there are many named varieties[183]. These varieties can be divided into two main types, the plain-leafed and the curly-leafed. Although more decorative, the curly-leafed forms are less suitable for late autumn/winter use because they are less hardy and their leaves tend to hold moisture and therefore encourage mildew and other disease problems[200, K]. In Britain, the plants grow best in Cornwall[142]. Through successional sowing, and careful selection of varieties, it is possible to obtain leaves all year round[K]. The main season of availability is autumn to early winter, though this can be extended through the winter if the plants are given protection[200]. A combination of low temperatures and short days causes the plants to flower[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ early to mid July for an autumn and winter crop and up to mid August for succession. Seedlings can be transplanted[200]. Successional sowings can also be made from April onwards for a summer crop though these plants are liable to bolt in hot weather or if there is a cold snap in late spring[1, 200].

Cultivars

No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[16] Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin 1977 ISBN 0-14-046-050-0
A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press 0 ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[33] Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber 1960
Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.

[34] Harrison. S. Wallis. M. Masefield. G. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press 1975
Good drawings of some of the more common food plants from around the world. Not much information though.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[52] Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980
A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.

[89] Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press 1987 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1
A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses.

[142] Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975 ISBN 0-12-136450-x
Readable but not very comprehensive.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Cichorium endiva

Marian Walke Mon May 21 2007

Most sources list this plant as Cichorium endivia (with an "i" as the next-to-last letter. Is this a typo?

Cichorium endiva

Fri Aug 7 2009

RHS Encyclopedia of Herbs refers to this plant as Cichorium endivia, with an i before the final a

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