Common Chicory, Cichorium intybus
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Common Chicory, Cichorium intybus by Jonathan Billinger as part of the Geograph project.
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Common Chicory, Cichorium intybus
Image: © Jonathan Billinger Taken: 5 Aug 2008
By the roadside to Little Wittenham. "In folklore, Chicory flowers are the eyes of a girl crying for her sweetheart's ship, which never returned. Chicory can also make you invisible (!) and could unlock boxes if a leaf of it was held against the lock. It had to be collected on 25 July (St James' Day) and cut with a knife of gold in silence, or the collector would die. German legend tells of a girl waiting by the roadside for her lover, who never came. She fell exhausted on to a patch of Chicory and died - hence it is also known as Watcher of the Road. A similar legend tells of a girl who fell in love with a sailor who left her to go to sea. She was distraught and the gods took pity on her and turned her into Chicory - hence another name for the plant - Blue Sailor Weed." http://www.englishplants.co.uk/chicory.html
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Image Location
Latitude
51.641376
Longitude
-1.202979