Prickly Lettuce
Lactuca serriola L.
Asteraceae (Aster Family)
▲ young plants in rosette stage
▲▼ young plants starting to bolt, showing vertical orientation of leaves
▲ spines on underside of leaves along midveins
▲ ▼ flowering plants
▲ ▼ flowers and inflorescence
▲▼ stem leaves, showing spines on midvein underneath leaf
Wild lettuce/Prickly lettuce:
· winter or summer annual, first producing rosette of grey-green, indented leaves with spines on margin
· when it forms a flowering stalk, the leaves are held more vertically; stem grows 2-6' tall
· flowers are in a more panicle terminal inflorescence with yellow petals; seeds have "parachute" to aid in wind dispersal
· found in gardens, roadsides, fencerows, wasteland