Bittercress is also known as endive.

Bitter chicory is a 1-year-old herb of the Asteraceae family. The roots are conical, vertically straight, with numerous fibrous fibrous roots. Stem erect, solitary. Basal leaves pinnatipartite, oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate. Heads few in dense corymbs or racemes in rows at tips of stem branches or solitary at tips of stem branches.

All of the involucral bracts of endive are long acute apically, glabrous outside or with a few capitate stalked glandular hairs along the midvein in the upper outer or middle inner layer. Ligulate florets numerous, yellow. Achenes brown, long ellipsoid or long elliptic-oblanceolate, compressed, with 3 veins on each side, transverse wrinkles between the ribs, narrow at the tip, beakless, crown hairs white, 7 mm long. Flowering and fruiting period May-December.

Distribution of endive

Endive is not strict on soil requirements, cold, heat, drought and barren resistance are strong, in the humid environment, the stem and leaves spread, leaf color dark green, lush growth. In the rich organic matter content, water retention and fertilizer on the soil, growth is good, a few global distribution.

China is distributed in Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Xizang, Inner Mongolia and so on. Bitter chicory is born at 170-3200 meters above sea level on mountain slopes or valley forest margins, under forests or flat fields, open spaces or near water.