Chicory List C Species

New Orleans natives frequently enjoy a mix of chicory noxious weed and coffee. The root of the chicory plant is baked, then ground and mixed with ground coffee beans. The blend is an acquired taste for most non-NOLA residents.

The weed itself is famous in Colorado for another reason: it’s a List C Species on the Colorado noxious weed list. That means that, depending on the jurisdiction in which it is located, it may be required to be eradicated, suppressed or contained. Check with your local municipality to determine if chicory noxious weed is a problem in your area.

Chicory Noxious Weed Description

The base of a chicory plant has leaves similar to a dandelion – anywhere from three to 10 inches long with toothed edges. Smaller leaves in the same shape are on the stems of chicory plants, which grow from three to five feet tall. Chicory flowers vary in color from purple to blue to white and are found in clusters of three. The weed blooms later in the growing season and mature flowers are about one inch in diameter with sawtooth petals. The stems are sticky and a milky sap is released by all parts of the plant when broken, including the root.

Chicory noxious weed can happily grow in pastures, rangelands, hayfields, roadsides and waste areas. Because the perennial plant reproduces by seeds, it especially loves disturbed ground. Even though it’s considered a forage plant, milk will taste bitter if Chicory is eaten by dairy cattle. Its sap also causes dermatitis in humans.

Although it’s very hearty (seeds can remain dormant for four years) and generally fast growing, chicory is less competitive than most weeds. That’s the main reason it hasn’t advanced up Colorado’s noxious weed list.

If you have chicory noxious on your property and would like to effectively remove it and prevent re-seeding, contact SprayTech, Colorado commercial and residential weed-spraying specialists, at 720-248-0000.