COMPOSITE. 123 



rare in Scotland, though occurring as far North as Dumbarton, 

 Moray, and Aberdeen. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Late Summer 



and Autumn. 



Eoot large, tapering, fleshy. Stem rough, with short woolly 

 hairs, 1 to 4 feet high. Radical and lower stem-leaves large, vary- 

 ing much in the depth of the incisions ; upper stem-leaves small, 

 with branches or peduncles in their axils. Anthodes numerous, 

 1 to 1^ inch across. Plorets pale bright-blue, varying to white. 

 Achenes J inch long, obovate, truncate at the apex, irregularly 

 angular, pale or marbled. Plant green, generally rough with small 

 hairs, especially on the midrib of the leaves beneath, but sometimes 

 nearly glabrous. 



In the cultivated form the radical leaves are usually entire or 

 nearly so. 



Wild Succory. 



French, Chicoree Sauvage. German, Gemeine Wegwarte. 



The bright and beautiful blue colour of the blossoms of the Chicory cannot fail 

 to attract the most unobservant of pedestrians by the road- or hedge-side, though, 

 perhaps, few recognize in it the plant about which so much has been written and said 

 as an agent in the adulteration of coffee. In Germany, and some parts of the Nether- 

 lands and France, it is extensively cultivated for the sake of its roots, which are used 

 as a substitute for coffee. They are not unwholesome used in this way, but they are 

 destitute of any principle like caffeine, which would supply the place of that substance 

 in diet ; neither have they the aromatic flavour or essential oil which belongs to the 

 coffee berry, Chicoiy has little to recommend it but its cheapness, and this circumstance 

 has caused its extensive employment, not alone as a substitute but as an adulteration of 

 coffee. Some short time since a report was drawn up by Dr. Letheby and Dr. Hassall 

 on the properties of Chicory, in which they say, " No one who is acquainted with the 

 respective properties of chicory and coffee can for a moment entertain the opinion 

 thatHhe former can be effectively substituted for the latter." They point out that the 

 two substances differ very materially from each other in their botanical nature, one 

 being a fruit or seed of a tree, while the other is the succulent root of an herbaceous 

 plant. " Now it is a well-ascertained fact, that of all parts of vegetables the fruit and 

 seeds usually possess the most active properties. This is no doubt due to the circum- 

 stance of their being freely exposed to the influence of light and air, agencies which 

 promote chemical changes in plants, and so effect the elaboration of those complex 

 organic substances on which the activity of vegetables depends. On the other hand, it 

 must be manifest, that as the roots are removed from the influence of these powerful 

 agencies, they cannot be so richly endowed with active properties ; and, indeed, there 

 are but few roots which contain either alkaloids or volatile oils — the two classes of 

 constituents which give to coffee its peculiar virtues." In the preparation of Chicory 

 the older roots are selected ; they are first cleansed in a very imperfect manner by 

 washing, then cut into slices and dried in a kiln ; in this state they are furnished to 

 the chicory-roaster, who submits them to a rough kind of roasting process, somewhat 



