Chicory

Discuss this plant with the guide — choose this profile as a possible match and prepare your observations for Colorado Plants & Practical Care.

Cichorium intybus

Colorado noxious weed · List C — Manage widespread weeds. CO-rules-2025

Widespread and well established. Control is recommended by the state; local governments may require management. This is a management category, separate from danger ratings. Category source · What the lists mean.

Roadside and pasture spread. Exposure help.

Identification caveat: Cultivated chicories and roadside plants can share a species name. This guide does not assess food harvesting or roadside contamination.

Still researching this plant

This is a sourced working profile. Evidence is incomplete for People, Dogs & cats, Other animals. Identification and source-photo limits are explained below. Independent botanical and veterinary review is pending. Uncertainty is not a finding that the plant is safe.

Three views of this plant

Source-identified reference photographs; these are not a complete identification key. A source location outside Colorado does not establish local occurrence.

Cichorium intybus: Tall branched flowering plant above broad lower leaves at a grassy field edge. — **habit** — Tall branched flowering plant above broad lower leaves at a grassy field edge.
H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source page scientific identification plus visual morphology review of the selected photograph. This is a source-identified reference image, not a specimen-based taxonomic determination.
Wikimedia server-resized derivative; no crop, color change, or generative editing. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

Cichorium intybus: Blue flower heads among long green leaves and stiff branching stems. — **foliage-flowers** — Blue flower heads among long green leaves and stiff branching stems.
4028mdk09 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source page scientific identification plus visual morphology review of the selected photograph. This is a source-identified reference image, not a specimen-based taxonomic determination.
Wikimedia server-resized derivative; no crop, color change, or generative editing. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

Cichorium intybus: Pale blue strap-shaped florets form a single chicory flower head. — **flower** — Pale blue strap-shaped florets form a single chicory flower head.
Isidre blanc · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source page scientific identification plus visual morphology review of the selected photograph. This is a source-identified reference image, not a specimen-based taxonomic determination.
Wikimedia server-resized derivative; no crop, color change, or generative editing. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

Recognize

Bright blue flowerheads grow along wiry stems above a basal leaf rosette; the plant has a deep taproot. N-cichorium-intybus

Plants & habitat

Naturalized in disturbed ground, fields and roadsides. The source describes less frequent invasion of intact natural habitats; this is not a top poisoning priority. N-cichorium-intybus

People

The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for people. Missing evidence does not establish safety.

Dogs & cats

The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for dogs or cats. Missing evidence does not establish safety.

Other animals

The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for livestock. Missing evidence does not establish safety.

Before taking action

Confirm identification and the requirements of your county weed program. For chemical treatment, follow the current product label, including restrictions around animals and water. S27

References

CO-rules-2025 — Colorado Noxious Weed Act rules, 8 CCR 1206-2, Colorado Secretary of State / Department of Agriculture. Accessed 2026-09-07T01:07:48+00:00. Locator: Parts 3.1, 4.1, 5.1; management provisions; effective May 15, 2025.
N-cichorium-intybus — cichorium intybus — Plant Toolbox, NC State Extension. Accessed 2026-09-07T01:04:55+00:00. Locator: Description; Attributes; Problems; Poisonous to Humans.
S27 — 2103 – Colorado Noxious Weeds, PlantTalk Colorado · CSU Extension. Accessed 2026-09-07T00:23:57+00:00. Locator: List A, B and C management categories.

Content revised 2026-09-07 03:50:00Z · Source checks dated separately in the references.