Prickly lettuce

Family: Asteraceae
Scientific name: Lactuca serriola
Description: Plant Form Biennial erect herb. Size 1 to 2 m tall. Stem Green to whitish, smooth and often with prickles near base. Leaves Oblong or lance shaped, become deeply lobed with age, with spiny white midrib. Flowers Pale yellow, about 20 overlapping strap-like petals with toothed ends, about 8 mm diameter. Fruit and Seeds Dandelion like with hairy parachutes. Habitat Abandoned fields, roadsides, urban areas, wasteland. Distinguishing Features Very similar to Bitter lettuce (Lactuca virosa) but generally shorter and more prickly. Milky latex from cut stem stays more pale. Impacts Loss of land productivity, outcompetes native species.

Example images for this weed