Endive
Family Compositae (or Asteraceae)
Cichorium endivia, endive (C. endivia 1), is an annual or biennial plant grown for its dense rosette of glabrous leaves that are eaten as a vegetable. If left to flower, endive bears a branching stem, up to 1 m high, with pale blue flower heads about 3-4 cm in diameter.
Distribution
Endive is a native of southern Asia and northern China and was known already to the ancient Romans.
Use
Endive is an important crop in the temperate regions. Two varieties are distinguished: Cichorium endivia var. latifolium (C. endivia 2) with single entire leaves; and Cichorium endivia var. crispum (C. endivia 3) with leaves that are divided and curled.
The fine cut leaves are used as a vegetable and are eaten boiled or fresh. As green leaves of endive are rather bitter, they are blanched to a pale colour (C. endivia 4) by covering them to exclude the light, or to bind them together. A lot of endive is cultivated in greenhouses, so the crop is available throughout the year.