Lactuca ludoviciana

Lactuca ludoviciana
Lactuca ludoviciana, western lettuce on Galveston Island, TX

Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Lactuca
Species:
L. ludoviciana
Binomial name
Lactuca ludoviciana
(Nutt.) Riddell 1835
Synonyms[1]
  • Galathenium ludovicianum (Nutt.) Nutt.
  • Lactuca campestris Greene
  • Sonchus ludovicianus Nutt. 1818

Lactuca ludoviciana, the biannual lettuce,[2] is a North American species of wild lettuce. It is widespread across much of central and western Canada and the western and central United States from Ontario west to British Columbia and south to Louisiana, Texas, and California. Most of the known populations are on the Great Plains; populations west of there may well represent naturalizations.[3]

Lactuca ludoviciana is a biennial herb in the dandelion tribe within the daisy family growing from a taproot a height of up to 150 cm (5 feet). The top of the stem bears a multibranched inflorescence with many flower heads. Each head contains 20-50 yellow ray florets but no disc florets.[4]

It has been seen to hybridize wildly with Lactuca canadensis, and it is difficult to differentiate between the two species.[5]

  1. ^ "Lactuca ludoviciana (Nutt.) Riddell — The Plant List". www.theplantlist.org. Archived from the original on 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  2. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "​Lactuca ludoviciana​". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  3. ^ "Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map". bonap.net. Archived from the original on 2015-10-16. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  4. ^ "Lactuca ludoviciana in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  5. ^ "Lactuca ludoviciana (Canada Lettuce) - Practical Plants". practicalplants.org. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2016-11-06.