Lactuca saligna

Taxobox
name = "Lactuca saligna"

---

image_width = 200px
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Asterales
familia = Asteraceae
tribus = Cichorieae
genus = "Lactuca"
species = "L. saligna"
binomial = "Lactuca saligna"
binomial_authority = L.

"Lactuca saligna" is a species of wild lettuce known by the common name willowleaf lettuce. It is native to Eurasia but it grows in many other places as an introduced species, including much of North America. This is an annual herb growing from a taproot to heights between one half and one meter, and occasionally taller. The spindly, mainly erect stem has bristles on its lower portion. The leaves are generally lance-shaped with a few vague lobes and coarse teeth, and their midveins are bristly. The top part of the stem is occupied by a narrow inflorescence. The branches may be appressed, that is, growing upward parallel to each other, or they may branch outward. The flower head is up to about 4 centimeters wide when open, with rectangular pale yellow ray florets with toothed tips. The fruit is a dark brown achene almost a centimeter long with a long white pappus.

External links

* [http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?609,1466,1470 Jepson Manual Treatment]
* [http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LASA USDA Plants Profile]
* [http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&where-taxon=Lactuca+saligna Photo gallery]