Cichorium calvum

Annual herb with slender taproot. Stem 40-80 cm, much branched from the base, slender. Basal leaves oblanceolate to lanceolate, 10-25 x 1.8-4 cm, rounded, irregularly dentate, glabrous to puberulous. Cauline leaves like basal leaves, but in upper part of inflorescence somewhat triangularly shaped, smaller towards apex, often with long hairs on margins and surface. Capitula solitary or clustered in groups of 4-9, sessile or on 10 to 20 cm long, slender peduncles, which are 1 1/2-2 (rarely up to 3 1/2) mm in cross-section. Involucrum 4-5 mm wide. Outer phyllaries very unequal in size, 1/2-1 1/2 times as long as inner phyllaries, upper part reflexed, broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 6-20 x 2-15 mm, the lower 1.5-4.1 mm part fleshy, upper part acute to acuminate, sometimes mucronate, entire; glabrous or set with few to many, 0.1-2.5 mm long, glandular or non-glandular hairs; one of the phyllaries usually much larger than the others, especially so in long peduncled capitula and then ca. 10-20 x 8-15 mm. Inner phyllaries 8, slightly reflexed after opening of the flowers, 8-10 x 1.0-3.0 mm; hairs absent or up to 2.0 mm long, glandular or not. Florets 9-13, when fully flowering half-patent, together forming a wide cup; tube 2-4 mm long; plate 6.2-12.5 x 2.4-4.1 mm with acute, 0.15-0.85 mm long lobes. Style 6-10 1/2 mm long, upper part with spreading hairs over 1.1-3.5 mm, blue; stigmatic lobes 0.8-2.5 mm long, blue. Pappus apparently absent, consisting of a single row of minute, patent, irregularly shaped, rounded to acute, up to 0.1 mm long scales; scales rarely longer (1.0 mm including a 0.3 mm long apical tip). Achenes shortly obconical (i.e. widest near top), 2-2.5 x 1.2-1.7 mm and mainly light brown.

from: Kiers, A. M. 2000: Endivie, Chicory, and their wild relatives. A systematic amd phylogenetic study of Cichorium (Asteraceae). – Gorteria, Suppl. 5.