Wild Lettuce

Plant Info

Also known as:	Canadian Lettuce
Scientific name:	Lactuca canadensis
Family:	Aster (Asteraceae)
Life cycle:	annual or biennial
Origin:	native
Habitat:	sun or shade; edges of woods, along roads
Bloom season:	summer
Plant height:	4 to 10 feet
USDA PLANTS database:	Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Long Lake Regional Park Vadnais/Snail Lake Regional Park

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Detailed Information

Flower:

A mass of ¼-inch yellow flowers at the top of the stalk, often with pink or red-tinted edges, only a few are open at a time.

Leaves:

Deeply lobed and coarsely toothed towards the base of the plant, up to 12 inches long and to 6 inches wide, gradually becoming smaller, smooth-edged and unlobed at the top. No leaf stem at the stalk. Leaves taper to points at both ends and the edges are somewhat wavy.

Fruit:

Seed head is a dandelion-type plume, 1-inch diameter

Notes:

The unusual leaves of this plant make it pretty easy to identify even when it isn't in bloom. Also, nearly all references I've come across say the flowers of Wild Lettuce are yellow, but the plants that I found had distinctly pink petals, though they turned yellow towards the center.

More photos

• full length of plant, about 5 feet tall

All photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN, July-August 2006.

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Ramsey County, or have any other comments about it?

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Please: Do not ask about where to buy seed or other gardening questions, are plants edible, etc. I am not a horticulturist or botanist, just an enthusiastic hobbyist so I probably don't know the answer. Please check the links page for additional resources. -thanks much

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