naked launaea

Launaea nudicaulis is a perennial herb with a taproot and flowering stems up to 40-50 cm tall. It has one or a few basal leaf rosettes, with leaves that are narrow and variable in shape, often sinuate-dentate or runcinate. The flowering stems are procumbent to ascending-erect and branched, with a short woody caudex in older plants. The synflorescence ends in a single capitulum and includes multiple flowering branches. Peduncles are wiry and 2-15 mm long, with bracts transitioning into involucral bracts. The involucre is 10-16 mm long, slender, and star-shaped at fruit dispersal. The species is found in regions from Spain and North Africa to western Asia and India. Taxonomic clarification and conservation of the name were necessary to resolve confusion with Lactuca intybacea.