Wednesday, 28 March 2012

FFF19 - A COMMON "WEED"

Common chicory, Cichorium intybus, is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Various varieties are cultivated for salad leaves, chicons (blanched buds), or for roots (var. sativum), which are baked, ground, and used as a coffee substitute and additive. It is also grown as a forage crop for livestock. It lives as a wild plant on roadsides in its native Europe, and in North America and Australia, where it has become naturalised. "Chicory" is also the common name in the United States for curly endive (Cichorium endivia); these two closely related species are often confused.

Please join me for Floral Friday Fotos by linking your flower photos below, and please leave a comment once you have done so!

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27 comments:

  1. Vores have28 March 2012 at 22:04

    Hello Nick
    Beautiful flower viewing.
    The plant I have never seen / read about before, are not found in these latitudes.
    Wishing you a good day.
    Hugs Hanne Bente

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  2. Angelika Poe29 March 2012 at 00:10

    ...klein und fast unscheinbar, aber eine schöne Farbe hat sie...

    lG Geli

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  3. Tina´s PicStory29 March 2012 at 00:45

    it´s little strange, that your post comes up on wednesday for floral friday :) so it´s floral wednesday? :) in the moment i cannot see any pic. may be something wrong with your blog or blogger. have a nice week!

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  4. A wondering star29 March 2012 at 01:13

    Beautiful picture of the cute blue Chicory!
    Useful information also!

    In Norway, chicory is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental plant with other perennials, and you can find it escaped from gardens in northern Norway.
    Have a nice day!

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  5. Tina´s PicStory29 March 2012 at 01:13

    you have not to change your habits for me. it was only a question :) what´s your time now? for me it´s thursday 10 am.

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  6. CameraCruise29 March 2012 at 01:44

    Great shot of the beautiful flower.
    Thanks for hosting.
    Have a wonderful day.
    Mette

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  7. LindyLouMac29 March 2012 at 03:57

    I like the chicory flower and I use it as my blog emblem it grows wild in our olive grove.

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  8. Anonymous29 March 2012 at 04:54

    Lovely picture!!
    I am showing one more flower display from our 2012 Canada Blooms garden show.
    - Cheers Gisela.

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  9. hannah29 March 2012 at 04:57

    Good morning Nick,
    That chicory is what I think of as my birthday flower, end of August for us over here.
    I have indeed found it in white a few times, but not yet in pink.
    That would indeed be something special.
    Quite a few blue wildflowers have white occurances, like the native bluebells and several campanulas.
    Terrific photograph when enlarged. I will be back for another look at it in five months' time :-)

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  10. Libby29 March 2012 at 07:42

    Hey Nick! I love these periwinkle weeds! And, yep, they have them here in late summer along the roadways. Sometimes I make giant bouquets that only last a day, but are still worth it! Thanks for sharing this (nice photo BTW!)

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  11. Karin M.29 March 2012 at 07:54

    A very beautiful flower, I like the color very well ...
    Best regards, Karin

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  12. NatureFootstep29 March 2012 at 08:17

    a useful flower it seems. It is lovely. :)

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  13. Melbourne Australia Photos29 March 2012 at 13:38

    I've put in a link of Spring Flowers in our garden from last Spring int he Southern Hemisphere. Just sharing the Spring Fever of my Northern Hemisphere readers :-)

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  14. Andrea29 March 2012 at 18:15

    very lovely foto Nick, i like the details of the reproductive parts.

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  15. Unknown29 March 2012 at 21:33

    it's a pretty weed. the petals look delicate.

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  16. Anne 29 March 2012 at 22:57

    Lovely blog; I'm a new follower...♥♥
    Best,
    Anne

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  17. Carole M.29 March 2012 at 23:03

    your common weed is a beautiful vibrant blue

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  18. Modern Mom30 March 2012 at 01:31

    It's beautiful!

    Pink and White Euphorbias

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  19. Jackie McGuinness30 March 2012 at 07:32

    Glorious blue!
    It's my first time linking here.

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  20. Halcyon30 March 2012 at 12:21

    It may be common, but the color is really nice!

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  21. Gemma Wiseman30 March 2012 at 18:51

    It may be a weed, but such a pretty flower!

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  22. Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪30 March 2012 at 22:47

    I must look for your weed. May it is a prized plant here.

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  23. SquirrelQueen30 March 2012 at 23:07

    This lowly weed certainly has a gorgeous flower.
    Thanks for the linky.
    Happy Weekend.

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  24. Suffia31 March 2012 at 06:57

    Lovely blue flower. Great shot too. My first time linking to this party. Thanks for hosting and I'm your newest follower. Wish you a great weekend.

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  25. Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪4 April 2012 at 13:59

    Do you eat the wild leeks? We have plenty here, and I see them at the Farmers' market. The smell is too strong for me, and I fear my fussy husband won't eat it. So I never dug them up and use them for my table.

    I really like your flower meme.

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    Replies
    1. Melbourne Australia Photos4 April 2012 at 14:11

      I agree with you, Ann. The smell of the wild leeks is too strong for us also, so we don't eat them. However, we do eat the chicory shoots and all sorts fo other "Weeds"!
      Thank you for your kind comment about this meme!

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  26. dinesh8 May 2012 at 06:11

    This is a great blog with excellent posts and links.

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