Prickly Lettuce

Asteraceae

LIFE FORM: Annual

NATIVITY: Europe

VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS:

Erect stems can grow up to about 5 feet tall from a basal rosette of pale green leaves; mature leaves lobed with rounded sinuses.

FLOWERS:

Blooms from July through September; flower heads are grouped into a large, pyramidal panicle; flowers yellow.

FRUIT/DISPERSAL AGENTS:

Spreads by seeds which have a feathery pappus to aid with wind dispersal.

ECOLOGICAL PREFERENCE:

Prefers nutrient rich soils and full sun; neglected residential and commercial landscapes; minimally maintained public parks and open space; unmowed highway banks and median strips with frequent salt applications.

ENVIRONMENTAL FUNCTION:

Disturbance-adapted colonizer.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

The wild ancestor of cultivated lettuce, this plant also has a number of uses in traditional medicine, including stimulating the flow of milk in nursing mothers.