Cicerbita is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae, native to Asia and Europe.[1][2] They are known commonly as blue sow thistles.[3] The word Cicerbita is from the Italian, meaning “chickory-like”, a comparison to Cichorium, the chicory genus.[4]
Cicerbita are usually perennial plants, often with rhizomes.[5] Annual species are also known.[6] The leaves are undivided or pinnate. The flower head has 5 to 30 florets in shades of blue or purple, or occasionally white[5] or yellow.[6] The achene is ribbed and has a pappus of bristles and hairs.[5]
The plants of this genus were included in genus Lactuca, the lettuces, until 1822,[7] when the first of them were separated based on the morphology of the fruits.[6] The definition of the genus is still in debate and very unclear.
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