Lactuca floridana var. floridana

Native

Moist. Thickets, woods, open places

June to September

Light blue, sometimes whitish ray florets

2′ to 6½′

This is a 2′ to 6½′ tall, erect, annual or biennial with a thick, deep taproot. The stems and leaves contain a milky latex.

The stems are leafy and hairless.

The alternate leaves are toothed and are lobed halfway or more to the midrib but not reaching the midrib. The base of the leaf is not arrow-shaped. The terminal segments are often triangular. They are on leaf stalks and are up to 3″ to 12″ long and 1″ to 8″ wide. The midvein on the underside is often hairy.

The inflorescence is an open-branched cluster.

The flower heads are about ⅜″ across and have 10 to 25, usually 10 to 15, light blue or, sometimes, whitish ray florets.

The fruit is a brown achene with fluffy, white bristles attached to the tip.

Canada lettuce (Lactuca canadensis) has yellow flowers.

Prairie lettuce (Lactuca ludoviciana) has stemless, sessile or clasping leaves.

Prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola) has yellow flowers. The leaves have prickles on the leaf margins and on the underside of the midvein.

The blue species of Lactuca are extremely variable and identifying characteristics overlap, factors which, taken together, make the species difficult to separate.

Showy blue lettuce (Lactuca tatarica ssp. pulchella) has large, showy flower heads that measure, ¾″ across.

Tall blue lettuce (Lactuca biennis) has stemless, clasping leaves. It has a tighter inflorescence and tends to be more leafy than woodland lettuce. The flower heads usually have 20 to 30 ray florets. The achene has grayish-brown bristles attached to the tip.