chicory?

[dakids]

I have been argueing with my brother about what type of plant this is.  I say it is chicory and he says it isn't.  What does every one here think it is?

[Big E]

That is a tough one. A REALLY tough one. My chicory is a lot wider and is only one plant like rape or turnips. I really can't help I'm sorry. I don't think it is but this is a tough one.

[Mayfly]

That is a tough one. A REALLY tough one. My chicory is a lot wider and is only one plant like rape or turnips. I really can't help I'm sorry. I don't think it is but this is a tough one.

Agreed. I spent a half hour last night just looking and comparing this plant to pictures of chicory with no resolution.

Any experts out there?

[mnnate]

Its chicory. From a google search.>The leaves of Chicory look very much like dandelion leaves. They grow up to six inches long and are narrow with large teeth. These leaves grow low to the ground.

[dakids]

Thanks for the help.  I have also planted and marked a spot with a cage around it to prove it to my little bro.

[Dotch]

Hmmm...picture above looks more like a dandelion than chicory. I'm not a weed taxonomist but I spend a fair amount of time identifying weeds in varying states of condition, including dried out, rotting in a plastic bag and dead in a wad on my desk. Hard to see some of the key identifying characteristics in the original pics and there are several weeds pictured, including what appears to be common yarrow. Some ?'s generated from Weeds of the North Central States and Weeds of the Great Plains reference books to narrow it down dakids:

Does the stem or tap root contain a milky juice or latex when broken off? Are the basal leaves alternate with long petioles or stems attaching them to the main plant? Are the stem leaves sessile (attached directly to the stem) with the base of the leaf clasping the stem? Do the leaves become smaller as you move up the stem? These things would tend to point you in the direction of chicory. One thing for sure, if it's chicory it will have a blue flower. Very common roadside weed across parts of MN and much of IL and IA.