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Latin name: Lactuca serriola |
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Family: Asteraceae |
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Common name: prickly lettuce |
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Life cycle: annual, spreads by seed |
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Habit: grows tall and upright, 3 to 6 feet tall |
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Rosette: Rosettes can grow up to 12 inches in diameter. |
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Foliage: Cauline foliage is pinnately lobed, thick and leathery,
and with prickles on the margins and midrib (underside). |
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Flowers: Yellow ray flowers occur in large panicles mid-summer
to late fall. |
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Notes: The generic name Lactuca is from
the Latin work lac,
which means milk. This and some other plants in the genus exude a milky
sap when severed. |