Chickory is an edible plant. In fact, it has been used as a coffee substitute for decades. I think the flower is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Before moving to St. Louis, I can't recall ever seeing such a plant before down south. 
Chickory can grow anywhere. It is a hardy plant and very tolerant of poor soils. In fact, this patch of Chickory flowers were growing out of asphalt from an old parking lot of a closed down factory in North St. Louis.
