Cichorium endivia
L.
Asteraceae
Cichorium ambiguum Schult.
Cichorium casnia C.B.Clarke
Cichorium crispum Mill.
Cichorium dichotomum Link
Cichorium esculentum Salisb.
Cichorium intybus divaricatum (Schousb.) DC.
Cichorium intybus endivia (L.) C.B.Clarke
Cichorium intybus glabratum (C.Presl) Arcang.
Cichorium minimum Port.
Cichorium nanum Port. ex Nyman
Cichorium noeanum Boiss.
Cichorium pumilum rhizocephalum Pamp.
Common Name: Endive
Curly endive
Photograph by: Atilin
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Curly endive
Photograph by: Atilin
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Endive in an organic farm in Belgium.
Photograph by: Jamain
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0
Flowering plant
Photograph by: Rasbak
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0
Flowers being fertilized by hoverflies
Photograph by: Rasbak
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0
General Information
Endive is an erect, annual to biennial plant growing up to 170cm tall. When young, the plant forms a rosette of leaves about 30cm tall, producing a central, branched stem when it flowers and sets seed. The plant has a thick taproot[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
The plant is often cultivated, mainly in the temperate zones of Europe and N. America, for its edible leaves. It is sometimes grown in the tropics as a substitute for lettuce.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Range
Probably originating in the Mediterranean region, the plant is only known from cultivation.
Habitat
Rocks and sand by the sea[
89- Title
- Flowers of the Mediterranean.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Polunin. O. and Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- Hogarth Press
- Year
- 1987
- ISBN
- 0-7012-0784-1
- Description
- A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses.
].
Properties
Edibility Rating | |
Medicinal Rating | |
Habit | Biennial |
Height | 1.00 m |
Pollinators | Self, Bees |
Self-fertile | Yes |
Cultivation Status | Cultivated |
Cultivation Details
Originating in the warm temperate to subtropical zone, Endive can also be grown in cooler areas of the temperate zone and into the tropics, though it generally does best there at elevations above 400 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 23°c, but can tolerate 5 - 30°c[
]. Older plants can survive temperatures down to about -5°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at -1°c[
]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 1,400mm, but tolerates 300 - 2,500mm[
]. It usually require long days for flowering and rarely flowers in the tropics - although there are reports of flowering at elevations above 1,500 metres in the tropics, probably helped by the lower temperatures there[
].
Prefers a sunny position[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
] but with light shade in hot weather to prevent plants running to seed[
33- Title
- Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Organ. J.
- Publisher
- Faber
- Year
- 1960
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.
]. Succeeds in any moderately fertile well-drained soil[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Prefers a medium to light sandy or gravelly soil that is rich in humus[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
,
34- Title
- The Oxford Book of Food Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Harrison. S. Wallis. M. Masefield. G.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1975
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Good drawings of some of the more common food plants from around the world. Not much information though.
,
37- Title
- The Gardener's Assistant.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Thompson. B.
- Publisher
- Blackie and Son.
- Year
- 1878
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- 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.
]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7.8, but tolerates 5.3 to 8.5[
].
Leaf yields can vary from 4 - 20 tonnes per hectare[
].
There are many named varieties, these falling into three basic groups:-
Batavian Group. (also known as Escarole Group, Scarole Group or var. Latifolium). This form has broad, almost entire, rather flat leaves, forming a loose head; some well-known cultivars are 'Batavian Broad-Leaved', 'Escarole', 'Deep Heart Fringed', 'Growers Giant' and 'Géante maraîchère'[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Curled-leaved Group (also known as Curled Endive Group, Frisée Group or var. Crispum). This form has narrow, deeply pinnatifid, strongly curled leaves, forming a loose head; some well-known cultivars are 'Salad King', 'Green Curled', 'Frisée de Ruffec' and 'Grosse Pancalière'[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Cutting Group (also known as Small Endive Group, Endivia Group or var. Endivia). A form with very small leaves that do not form a head; cultivars belonging to this group are hardly grown anymore[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Edible Uses
Leaves - raw or cooked[
2- Title
- Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hedrick. U. P.
- Publisher
- Dover Publications
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- 0-486-20459-6
- Description
- Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
,
16- Title
- New Vegetable Growers Handbook.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Simons.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1977
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-050-0
- Description
- A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.
,
27- Title
- The Vegetable Garden.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Vilmorin. A.
- Publisher
- Ten Speed Press
- Year
-
- ISBN
- 0-89815-041-8
- Description
- A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.
,
33- Title
- Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Organ. J.
- Publisher
- Faber
- Year
- 1960
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.
,
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- 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- Title
- Salads all the Year Round.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Larkcom. J.
- Publisher
- Hamlyn
- Year
- 1980
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.
,
171- Title
- Economic Botany.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hill. A. F.
- Publisher
- The Maple Press
- Year
- 1952
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some detail about the plants it does cover.
]. Leaves of wild plants are very bitter but there are many named forms with only a slight bitterness[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- 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.
]. 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- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]. The leaves are often blanched (by excluding light from the growing plant) in order to reduce this bitterness[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
], though this process also reduces the nutritional value of the plant[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Medicinal
The plant is used as a resolvent and cooling medicine, and in the treatment of bilious complaints[
240- Title
- Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement).
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C.
- Publisher
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi.
- Year
- 1986
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- 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.
]. 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- Title
- The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chevallier. A.
- Publisher
- Dorling Kindersley. London
- Year
- 1996
- ISBN
- 9-780751-303148
- Description
- An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
].
The root is bitter, demulcent and tonic[
240- Title
- Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement).
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C.
- Publisher
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi.
- Year
- 1986
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- 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.
,
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. It has been used in the treatment of dyspepsia and fevers[
240- Title
- Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement).
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C.
- Publisher
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi.
- Year
- 1986
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- 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.
].
The fruit (this probably means the seed[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]) has been used in the treatment of fevers, headaches, bilious complaints and jaundice[
240- Title
- Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement).
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C.
- Publisher
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi.
- Year
- 1986
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- 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.
].
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - sow in situ. Seedlings can be transplanted[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Successional sowings can be made.
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