# prickly lettuce (*Lactuca serriola*) Prickly lettuce is a leafy plant that grows in gardens and fields. It has sharp, spiky leaves and can grow quite tall. Some people even use it in salads! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Snaps:** 17 - **Habitat:** Urban areas ![prickly lettuce](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Lactucaserriola2web.jpg&width=800) Photo: Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lactucaserriola2web.jpg) ## Appearance The prickly lettuce is an upright plant with blue-green, deeply lobed leaves featuring distinctive prickles along the midrib and edges. It produces small, pale yellow, daisy-like flower heads clustered at the top of its stem, sometimes appearing almost white. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Asterales - **Family:** Asteraceae - **Genus:** Lactuca ## Interesting facts - Its leaves can twist and point like a natural compass, guiding lost explorers. - Its white sap contains a mild latex that was once used as a folk remedy. - The plant grows so fast, it can reach over 6 feet tall in a single summer! - This plant is a wild cousin of the common garden lettuce you might eat! ## Special abilities - **Sun Seeker:** Prickly lettuce can rotate its leaves to align vertically north-south, reducing sun exposure during peak heat to conserve water. - **Prickly Shield:** Prickly lettuce has spiny leaves and stems that deter herbivores from munching on its foliage, helping it survive. - **Deep Drinker:** Prickly lettuce has a long taproot that can reach deep into the soil for water, allowing it to thrive in dry conditions. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-200 cm - **Spread:** 30-60 cm - **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer-fall - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Annual - **Pollination Method:** Self ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [White-tailed deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — Deer browse on its leaves. - **Eaten by:** [European rabbit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-rabbit) (*Oryctolagus cuniculus*) — Rabbits may graze its foliage. - **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Bees visit its small yellow flowers. ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Biennial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/biennial): Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons, typically forming foliage in the first year and flowering/seeding in the second. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. - [Spiky/Thorny](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spiky-thorny): Possessing sharp, pointed projections or spines on the body or surface. - [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low Don't touch the prickly leaves too much, as they can be sharp! ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify prickly lettuce? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is prickly lettuce? 30-200 cm ### How wide does prickly lettuce spread? 30-60 cm ### How big are the flowers on prickly lettuce? 1-2 cm ### When does prickly lettuce bloom? Summer-fall ### Is prickly lettuce edible? Yes ### Is prickly lettuce toxic? None ### What is prickly lettuce's lifecycle? Annual ## Where to spot - [Brooklyn Botanic Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/brooklyn-botanic-garden) — New York, US · Botanical Garden - [Clayton Public Schools Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/clayton-public-schools-historic-district) — New Mexico, US · Historic District - [Clinton Hill Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/clinton-hill-historic-district) — New York, US · Historic District - [Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/delaware-division-of-the-pennsylvania-canal) — Pennsylvania, US · Historic Site - [East Windsor Hill Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/east-windsor-hill-historic-district) — Connecticut, US · Historic District - [Humboldt (Alexander Von) Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/humboldt-alexander-von-park) — Illinois, US · Park [View all places to see prickly lettuce](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/prickly-lettuce) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Prickly Lettuce: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/prickly-lettuce)