Two of my favorite summer wildflowers

This time of year one of my favorite wildflowers is the beautiful blue Chicory.  Chicory today grows wild throughout North America, but it is not a native wildflower. It was introduced to North America during colonial times. You can see these beautiful flowers along roadsides all over Akwesasne. Chicory is a perennial plant (meaning they return year after year on their own). The plant has rigid branches and dandelion-like shaped leaves with bright blue ray flowers. They can be from three to five feet in height. They bloom here from June until October.

Chicory has a long history. It was cultivated in ancient Egypt for its medicinal and culinary qualities. The new leaves are edible like dandelion greens and are sometimes referred to as endives, but they are not the same as the true endive species. The roots are dried, roasted, and ground to be used as or added to beverages. The French used it in their coffee to reduce the effects of the coffee’s caffeine.  Some use chicory as a coffee substitute.  Chicory is used a lot as a drink in Southern states, especially in New Orleans where it is also used as an ingredient and flavoring in stews and gravies. In colonial times this plant was used for salad greens, as ground cover, and for livestock fodder.  It is also known by the names, coffeeweed, cornflower, and blue sailors. 

Medicinally it is used as a tonic, a laxative, and as a diuretic. It is believed that used as a tonic in tea or juice form it helps disorders of the digestive tract.  It is said it induces bile production and can free gallstones.  As a laxative, it relieves constipation, and as a diuretic it increases the production of urine. It is also used to treat disorders of the spleen, jaundice and inflammations of the skin. Before one uses natural remedies, I strongly suggest you research them thoroughly. You must also let your medical caretakers know you plan to use them as they may interfere with or make your prescribed medications not work or worse, make them deadly.

In the 1970s, it was found that chicory root contained 20% of inulin, which is similar to starch. Since that discovery, strains have been created to give the chicory root an inulin content equal to that of sugar beets.  It is used in the food industry as a sweetener. It has a sweetening power 30% higher than sucrose.  Inulin can be converted to fructose and glucose through hydrolysis (a process in which a chemical compound is broken down by reaction to water).  It is sometimes added to yogurt as a prebiotic (a non-digestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by stimulating growth or activity of bacteria in the colon thus improving the host’s health).

Chicory is also well known for its toxicity to internal parasites.  Studies show that the ingestion of chicory by farm animals greatly reduces worm infestations. This knowledge has prompted widespread use of chicory as a forage (food used for animals by browsing or grazing) supplement.  A few major companies, mostly in New Zealand, are actively researching and developing chicory varieties. Roasted chicory is even used by some beer brewers to add flavor to their stouts (dark beers). 

According to some traditional folklore, using chicory as a coffee substitute for an extended time can damage human retinal tissue causing dimming of vision. Modern scientific literature contains no evidence to support or deny this claim.  In the Napoleanic Era in France, chicory appeared as an adulterant added to coffee or as a coffee substitute. This practice also became common in the United States during WWII. There is a Camp Coffee, a coffee and chicory essence that has been on sale since 1876.  It was a Scottish food product produced by Paterson & Sons in a plant in Glasgow. Today the company is owned by McCormick & Company Inc. Chicory has also been found as an ingredient in many ancient Roman recipes.

Chicory was also believed, according to European folklore, to have magical powers. According to some folklore, chicory could make you invisible, and a concoction of it could open locked doors, boxes, and chests.  Some folk tales state that the beautiful blue flowers of the chicory are a beautiful clear blue because they are the transformed eyes of a girl weeping for her lover’s lost ship. That tale is why chicory has the common name, “blue sailors” in different parts of the world.

As you can see, the chicory flower, although it is not native to our lands, is a very interesting and beautiful wildflower that has become naturalized in North America. The next time you are walking around or driving around Akwesasne, take the time to look at these really exquisite flowers. I assure you will find them rewarding to observe, and who knows perhaps a chicory flower or two tucked into your pocket might help you to unlock some doors. Next, I would like to write about one of my favorite native wildflowers to North America, the Black-eyed Susan.

The Black-eyed Susan is probably the most recognized of all wildflowers in North America.    It is sometimes called a yellow daisy or yellow coneflower. It is native to almost all USA states, but it is not found in Arizona or Utah.  In some of its ranges it is biennial, but in most areas it is perennial. Some live 4-5 years while others can live for decades.  You can find this flower growing alongside chicory here in Akwesasne. This wildflower does best in full sun, but will do fine in shaded areas as well.  It will have the most blooms where there is the most sun. The Black-eyed Susan’s brown, seed filled domed center is surrounded by symmetrical circles of very bright yellow ray florets. They can grow to a height of 2-3 feet, and they are found along roadsides, in open fields, and in gardens. The Black-eyed Susan, because it can tolerate neglect, is one of the easiest to grow in your gardens or on your property.  It is a host for the very beautiful Checkerspot butterfly caterpillar, its seeds are a great source of food in the fall for many songbirds and game birds, and it is very useful when planted along with grasses in areas subject to erosion.

If you want to collect the seeds, allow the petals to naturally drop off the plant. The cone at the center of the flower will swell and turn a deeper dark brown. The stem below will change color from green to light brown. When this happens, it signals that the seeds in the cone are mature. Remove the cone from the now brown stem and allow it to dry for a few days on a dish. Be sure to keep it away from direct sunlight and in a dry area. The seeds are shaped like small splinters. Take a large metal strainer or colander and toss the seed cones into it over a bowl. Hit the strainer on the side of the palm of your hand and the seeds will come tumbling out through the holes of the strainer and fall into the bowl.

Black-eyed Susan seeds usually mature in late summer to mid fall. The time this happens depends on their location.  If you can, plant them in the fall as these seeds, like many wildflowers, do best if they experience a dormant state over the winter months. If you are not going to plant them right away, after they are dry store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator or another cool, dry place.  You can plant them in the fall or spring in ditches, on hillsides, in your garden, or anywhere you want to see their beautiful flowers.  You will be surprised at how long they will last when cut and placed in a vase of water for indoor flower displays.