Endive alias endive, old stork cabbage, disk herb, duck's tongue grass, bitter bulbwort, rabbit grass, ox tongue grass, earth dandelion, yellow cauliflower, bitter dish, bitter clover, septoria, tomb head back.

Endive is an annual or biennial herb of the genus Endive in the family Asteraceae. The stems are unbranched or branched only distally, and the leaves are pinnately parted, usually sessile, while the base is expanded to clasp the stem. The heads are arranged in corymbose rows at the stem ends, the involucres are in two or three rows, and the ligulate flowers are yellow, bisexual, and fruit-bearing. The fruit is achene, compressed, reddish brown when ripe, with three raised longitudinal ribs on both sides. Bittersweet sprouts in April and flowers in June-July.

Endive is native to Europe and was inadvertently introduced into China, where it is distributed throughout the world. Endive fast-growing, strong living force, barren, not saline, shade intolerant, not drought tolerant, like moist and loose soil, in the spring plowing over the farmland growth is particularly exuberant. Endive generally take the way of seed propagation.

Fodder use

Endive as livestock fodder, is a good forage with high value in agricultural areas. Endive stems and leaves tender and juicy, young stems and leaves up to 90% water content, no thorns, hairless, slightly bitter flavor, is a good green fodder. Pigs and geese are the most favorite; rabbits and ducks are happy to eat; goats and sheep are happy to eat; horses and cattle take a small amount of food.

Before the flowering period, chopped raw or boiled feeding, daily with 650 grams of chicory feeding rabbits, its feeding rate of up to 77%, chopped feeding chickens, ducks also have good results. Chicory hay is a good forage for horses, cows and sheep, and its palatability can be set as a happy food level.

In wild conditions, with endive dominant grass, fresh grass production is generally up to 30,000-45,000 kg/ha; single plant weighing 150-250 grams, under cultivation conditions, fresh grass production up to 37,500-60,000 kg/ha, high-yield up to 75,000 kg/ha. Fodder base.

Endive's stem and leaves are brittle, intolerant of trampling by livestock and poultry, poor heat resistance, to mow and utilize as well. Especially suitable for use before the flowering period. In addition to green feeding, can also be sun-made green hay, made of grass powder; can also be utilized for silage. Green grass to feed pigs, geese, rabbits, goats, ducks for good; hay to horses, cattle, sheep and other utilization is most appropriate.