This showy alien ("chicory") is a cosmpolitan weedy biennial in temperate regions. It is variable in some characters, and traditionally selected for human salad greens or its inulin-rich roots. However, no segregates are generally recognized in North America; 2n = 18 only (in marked contrast to related weedy genera). It was first reported from Ky. in 1914, when Gm noted: "becoming a common weed locally in lawns and about the edges of towns... The seeds are scattered with forage seeds." It is now abundant in suitable habitat across the state. The cultivated plant traditionally known as "endive" is C. endiva L., while "Belgian endive" is a cultivar of intybus (FNA 19). Another cultivar is grown for its root as an ingredient of high-quality dogfoods (J. Seymour, pers. comm.). Wild plants are an important ancient human food in Eurasia and roasted roots are a substitute for coffee (e.g. Redzić 2010). Although plants do not contain caffeine, they do have a diverse array of antioxidants and other medicinal or nutritional chemicals (Street et al. 2013, Saeed et al. 2017).