Lactuca canadensis
(Canada Lettuce)

Other pictures of this plant:


               Seedpod                                           Leaf                                            Stem                                        Seed                                          Habit

Facts About this Plant:

    Common Names: Canada Lettuce, Wild Lettuce, Canadian Lettuce, Canada Wild Lettuce, Florida Blue Lettuce
    Synonyms: Lactuca sagittifolia, Lactuca steelei
      Lifespan: Annual
      Zones: N/A
      Type: Forb
      Bloom Time: July - September
      Status: Native
      Range:

    Lactuca canadensis, or Canada Lettuce, is native to the entire United States, though it is considered adventive in the western half. It is an annual, or biennial, that grows in fields, along roadsides, prairies, and along woodland edges, often in sandy soil. It blooms from mid summer into fall, with medium-sized flowers that are yellow and sometimes have a tinge of pink of orange.

    This plant looks similar to some other members of the Lactuca genus. The most similar is Lactuca biennis, which is a taller plant and has blue flowers, and its leaves are less divided and do not clasp the stem. additionally, Lactuca biennis has no stalk between the seed and the tuft of hair that carries it in the wind; meanwhile, Lactuca canadensis has yellow flowers and leaves that are usually deeply divided and often clasp around the stem. In addition, its seed has the primary seed, and above it is a small stalk, and then a tuft of hairs that get carried in the wind.

    More information will be posted at a later time about differentiating other species.

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