![]() |
Wild Lettuce |
![]() |
Tall Lettuce |
![]() |
Tall Wild Lettuce |
![]() |
Canada Lettuce |
Plant Habit: | Herb/Forb |
Life cycle: | Biennial |
Sun Requirements: | Full Sun Full Sun to Partial Shade |
Water Preferences: | Mesic |
Plant Height: | up to 8 feet |
Leaves: | Other: alternate, stalkless |
Flowers: | Inconspicuous |
Flower Color: | Yellow |
Bloom Size: | Under 1" |
Flower Time: | Summer |
Uses: | Medicinal Herb |
Pollinators: | Various insects |
Containers: | Not suitable for containers |
Posted by jmorth (central Illinois) on Jul 15, 2016 12:13 PM Lactuca canadensis is called Wild Lettuce around here (central Illinois). This wildflower/weed can grow up to 8 feet tall. It's a smooth-skinned biennial that has a milky tannish sap. It becomes multi-branched at the top, where numerous, small (less than a half-inch across) flower heads occur. Each head is composed of 15 to 22 yellow petal-like ray flowers surrounding a central disk. Flowers appear from July through September. The flower and seed heads look like diminutive dandelions. Seed distribution is wind borne, just like the dandelion. It can colonize densely. [ Reply to this comment | |
Posted by RadlyRootbound (East-Central Mississippi - Zone 8a) on Jun 28, 2018 1:59 AM Lactuca canadensis is said to reach "up to" eight feet tall, however it can grow taller, as I have a strictly volunteer specimen that is at least ten feet in late June, so it may grow even taller. This is natural growth, with no fertilizer of any sort used to boost its size. I will monitor it and get an exact measurement when it reaches its peak, and post the results here. [ Reply to this comment | |
Thread Title | Last Reply | Replies |
---|---|---|
Some kind of wild lettuce? by antsinmypants | Sep 14, 2020 3:07 PM | 4 |
Giant mystery weed by dizinnia | Aug 29, 2019 7:06 PM | 8 |
Plant ID by Munom | Jul 10, 2018 7:02 PM | 5 |
What plant is this? by Fullergarden | May 24, 2017 9:53 AM | 1 |
What a tall wildflower.. by Treeme | Aug 29, 2016 2:25 PM | 9 |
Hieracium; growing wild by flaflwrgrl | Sep 10, 2015 11:22 AM | 114 |
(Lactuca); for ID by wildflowers | Aug 4, 2015 4:53 PM | 13 |
Any ideas? by threegardeners | Jul 5, 2013 2:47 AM | 27 |
And yet another by flaflwrgrl | May 20, 2012 7:27 PM | 14 |