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Chicory

Cichorium intybus

Found in roadsides, fencerows, vacant lots, disturbed areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
3–4 feet
Spread
1.5–2 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist
See native alternatives

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Crooked-stem Aster
    Symphyotrichum prenanthoides

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Blue, yellow, purple or red.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

  • Wrinkle-leaf Goldenrod
    Solidago rugosa

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

    Different: flower color

  • Heartleaf Aster
    Symphyotrichum cordifolium

    Sun: Dappled sunlight, Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Blue.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

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At a glance

Life cycle
Biennial or perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
May to November
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Recorded in 100 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

13CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Cichorium

  • Abagrotis magnicupidaOne-Dotted Dart
  • Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Lacinipolia implicataImplicit Arches
  • Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
  • Mythimna oxygalaLesser Wainscot
  • Ochropleura implectaAmerican Flame-Shouldered Dart
  • Pyrrhia exprimensPurple-Lined Sallow, Purple-Lined Sun Moth
  • Spaelotis clandestinaClandestine Dart, W-Marked Cutworm
Show all 13
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
  • Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
2Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Cichorium

  • Colletes compactus
  • Perdita octomaculata
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–8b
Soil pH
Neutral to alkaline
Flower color
Blue
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Grows in clumps
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankGNR
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources