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Lactuca spp.

wild lettuces

Asteraceae

Temperate Northern Hemisphere, mainly Eurasia and Africa

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Drought Tolerant Container Friendly

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterMedium · drought-tolerant

Overview

Lactuca spp. is a genus of about 50 to 100 species of annual, biennial, and short-lived perennial herbs in the family Asteraceae, spread across the temperate Northern Hemisphere and into Africa. All carry a bitter milky latex that flows when the stems or leaves are cut. Plants begin as a basal rosette and send up branched flowering stems 1 to 7 feet (30 to 210 cm) tall, lined with lobed or toothed leaves that often clasp the stem. Small composite flower heads, each a cluster of strap-shaped ray florets, open mostly in yellow, with blue or white in some species, and close by midday. The genus includes the cultivated salad lettuce L. sativa, the widespread weed prickly lettuce L. serriola, and wild lettuce L. virosa, whose latex has been used as a mild sedative. Seeds are tipped with a parachute of white hairs and scatter on the wind. The weedy species self-sow heavily and can colonize gardens and disturbed ground.

Native Range

Lactuca spp. is native across Europe, Asia, and Africa, with several species also native to North America. Prickly lettuce L. serriola, originally Eurasian, is now naturalized worldwide along roadsides, fields, and waste ground, while L. canadensis is a North American native of clearings and edges.

Suggested Uses

Cultivated lettuces are grown as a cool-season salad crop in beds, rows, and containers, spaced 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) apart. The taller wild species are sometimes grown in wildlife and pollinator plantings, where the flowers feed small bees and the seeds feed finches. Most wild species are treated as weeds rather than ornamentals.

How to Identify

Identify Lactuca spp. by the bitter milky sap that bleeds from cut stems and leaves and by the small yellow dandelion-like flower heads made entirely of strap-shaped florets. The leaves are often lobed, with a row of soft prickles along the midrib underside in the prickly species. Stem leaves usually clasp the stalk with two pointed lobes. The seed heads form a fluffy ball of parachute seeds.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height1' - 7'

Width/Spread6" - 2'

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~6 weeks

Summer Fall

Flowering runs through summer into autumn, roughly July to September, with each head open only for a morning. Plants flower over many weeks as new heads form along the branched stem. The fluffy seed heads follow within a week or two of each flush.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

yellow, occasionally blue or white

Foliage Description

green, sometimes blue-green or red-tinged

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam sand

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Most Lactuca spp. grow in full sun on moist, fertile, well-drained soil at pH 6.0 to 7.5, and the salad types run quickly to seed in heat and drought. Sow the cultivated kinds in cool weather, in early spring or late summer, since high temperatures trigger bolting and bitterness. Water steadily to keep leafy growth tender, as dry spells turn the foliage bitter and tough. The wild and weedy species tolerate poor, dry soil and need no care. Aphids, downy mildew, and slugs are the main problems on the salad crops. Removing flower stalks before seed sets limits self-sowing of the weedy kinds.

Pruning

Cut salad Lactuca spp. leaves as needed, taking the outer leaves first or harvesting the whole rosette before it bolts. Remove the tall flower stalks of the weedy species before the seed ripens to limit spread. No other trimming is needed.