Lactuca ludoviciana

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
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Cichorieae
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 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]

References
  1. The Plant List, Lactuca ludoviciana (Nutt.) Riddell
  2. "Lactuca ludoviciana". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  3. Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  4. Flora of North America, Lactuca ludoviciana (Nutt.) Riddell 1835
  5. "Lactuca ludoviciana (Canada Lettuce) - Practical Plants". practicalplants.org. Retrieved 2016-11-06.


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