Scientific Family
Asteraceae
Synonyms
Lactuca saligna var. runcinata
Other common names
least lettuce
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Introduced
Lifecycle
Biennial or annual
Height
2 feet
Riparian
No
Smooth annual to 2 feet tall, stems slender, leafy, usually several arising from a taproot, reclining at the ground with tips ascending; leaves have milky sap.
Leaves oblong to narrow, midribs usually bristly; flower stems of appressed short branches; flowers usually yellow, can be bluish or dries bluish to white; fruit flattened to elliptic, 5 to 9 nerved, topped by white, thin deciduous bristles.
Habitat
Found in disturbed areas.
Plant Community
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
0
High elevation
5000
Flower Characteristics
Small heads, narrow, spike-like, cylindrical clusters of flowers maturing from bottom upwards; rectangular pale yellow ray florets, sometimes bluish below, toothed tips, 8 to 10 per head, no disc florets; bracts overlapping in 2 or more series.
Flower color
Yellow, bluish, whitish
Flower shape
Daisy or dandelion-like
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
August
Last bloom month
August
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Alternate, narrow, to 2 inches long, pale green, taper to a narrow tip, bases arrowhead-shaped and clasp the stems, margins smooth or the lower ones toothed or few-lobed, the midribs usually prickly, covered with bristles.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Pale green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
Yes
Leaf hairs
Leaves
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Achenes (small hard 1-seeded dried fruits that don't split open) light brown, to 1/8 inch long, spiny-ribbed, strongly flattened, prolonged into 1/4 inch long tip with a disc at the apex; topped with numerous white bristles, about as long as the tip.
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit color
Light brown