Lactuca serriola (Prickly lettuce)

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Lactuca serriola L.

Prickly lettuce

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Asterales	Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies
Family	Asteraceae	The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers
Genus	Lactuca	From lacta, Latin for “milk,” referring to the milky sap in stem, and a root word for lactic acid
Species	serriola	Either in ranks, or pertaining to salad, being one form of an old name for chicory

About plant names...

Prickly lettuce originated in the Mediterranean uplands in Europe. It is now widely distributed in parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America.

Identification: Plants are erect, 12-79" (30-200 cm) tall. Stems sometimes have stiff hairs near the bottom; stems and leaves have a milky sap when cut. Leaves are alternate, 1¾-12" (5-30 cm) long and ⅜-4" (1-10 cm) wide. The mid-ribs of leaves have prickers along the bottom. Typically leaves are deeply lobed. Panicles form open, roughly conical clusters of flowers. Flowers are ⅜-½" (1-1.5 cm) in diameter, and have 13-27 florets (petals) each. Flowers appear July-September. Fruits are ⅛" (3 mm) long, single-seeded, lance-shaped, attached to a "parachute" like dandelions.

Some Lactuca species:

9/25/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 31 × 46" (78 × 117 cm) ID is uncertain

7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

	*Lactuca biennis*	*Lactuca canadensis*	You are here Lactuca serriola
Common Name	tall blue lettuce	wild lettuce	prickly lettuce
Plant	Tall blue lettuce grows up to 6' (1.8 m) high.	4-10' (1.2-3 m) tall, with stems that are green or spotted with purple. The latex from a broken stem is brown.	Erect, 12-79" (30-200 cm) tall. Stems sometimes have stiff hairs near the bottom; stems and leaves have a milky sap when cut.
Flowers	Blue, about ¼-½" (6.3-12 mm) across, in crowded clusters at the top.	At the top, large cone-shaped panicles consisting of 50-100 flowers appear. Individual flowers are about ¼" (8.5 mm) around, with 15-22 florets (tiny petals) each. They are yellow, pinkish-orange, or reddish.	In panicles that form open, roughly conical clusters of flowers. Flowers are ⅜-½" (1-1.5 cm) in diameter, and have 13-27 florets (petals) each. Flowers appear July-September.
Leaves	Leaves are deeply divided, like those of dandelions, but while dandelion leaves are roughly the same width along their length, these are more triangular in overall shape. They are up to 12" (30 cm) long and 6" (15 cm) wide at the base, tapering to sharp tips. Leaves are hairy, undersides more so.	Vary greatly in shape, and may resemble the shape of a sickle, or long and narrow, or wider and deep lobes. They are 6-14" (15-35 cm) long.	Alternate, 1¾-12" (5-30 cm) long and ⅜-4" (1-10 cm) wide. The mid-ribs of leaves have prickers along the bottom. Typically leaves are deeply lobed.
Fruit		Achenes (seeds) are small and brown, each with a "parachute" attached, like dandelions.	⅛" (3 mm) long, single-seeded, lance-shaped, attached to a "parachute" like dandelions.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Redwood forest, wetlands	Woodland margins, clearings, near the edges of water, roadsides, pastures.	Grasslands, seasonal wetlands, orchards, vineyards, urban places, roadsides, disturbed habitats.
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild
Occurrence	Common	Common	Common

Edibility/medicinal: Prickly lettuce is a wild progenitor of the common lettuce varieties that we eat (Lactuca sativa), but it contains compounds that make it taste bitter. It also contains a compound that is a mild soporific; in the past, "Syrup of Lactucarium" was a commercial product sold to help with bronchitis, the flu, colds, coughs, asthma, etc. Its effects have been compared to those of opium, though much milder, hence the term "lettuce opium." Whether these effects even exist is debatable—in 1893, it was described as a "feeble narcotic."

Online References:

Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and the Plants of the Sonoran Desert

The Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide

Montana Plant Life

Illinois Wildflowers

Drugs-Forum

Vascular Plants of the Gila Wilderness

CalPhotos

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Vascular Plants of the Gila Wilderness

The Jepson Manual