Florida Blue Lettuce
Lactuca floridana (L.) Gaertn.
Lactuca floridana, known as Florida Blue Lettuce, is a North American species in the Asteraceae family. It is native to regions across central Canada and the eastern and central United States. The plant is annual or biennial, with white latex, and can grow up to 350 cm in height. It has variable leaves, well-branched inflorescences, and lavender to purplish blue corollas. The species was first described in 1791.
Description
Lactuca floridana is a member of the Asteraceae family and is native to North America. The plant is characterized by its white latex and variable leaf morphology, with basal and lower stem leaves typically 7-45 cm long and middle and upper stem leaves lanceolate to obovate. The inflorescences are well-branched panicles containing 50-100 or more heads. The involucre is cylindrical or urn-shaped, 8-14 mm long, with 14-17 bracts. Corollas are lavender to purplish blue or blue, and the pappus is 5-7 mm long. The fruits are 4-6 mm long, brown to dark brown, and flattened. Chromosome number is 2n = 34.
Other common names
Florida Blue LettuceFlorida LettuceFlorida Wild LettuceWild LettuceWoodland Lettuce
Distribution
Manitoba · Ontario · Alaska · Virginia · Indiana · Tennessee · Arkansas · Delaware · Puerto Rico · Massachusetts · North Carolina · South Dakota · Texas · Ohio · Wisconsin · District of Columbia · Georgia · New York · Oklahoma · Iowa · New Mexico · Pennsylvania · West Virginia · Louisiana · Michigan · Florida · South Carolina · Kentucky · Nebraska · Missouri
Synonyms
Sonchus acuminatusAgathyrsus floridanusWiestia acuminataGalathenium floridanumMulgedium lyratumWiestia floridanaMulgedium acuminatumLactuca villosaSonchus floridanusCicerbita villosaMulgedium floridanumMulgedium floridanum var. floridanumLactuca acuminataLactuca floridana var. villosaMulgedium villosumCicerbita floridanaAgathyrsus acuminatusLactuca floridana var. floridanaLactuca floridana f. floridanaCicerbita acuminataMulgedium acuminatumAgathyrsus floridanus
