Western wild lettuce

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Western wild lettuce

Western wild lettuce

Western wild lettuce flower

Western wild lettuce achenes and pappus with dew

Western wild lettuce

Western wild lettuce

Western wild lettuce

Western wild lettuce head

Western wild lettuce achenes and pappus

Western wild lettuce leaves

Western wild lettuce leaf

Western wild lettuce

Western wild lettuce

Western wild lettuce achenes

Western wild lettuce

Western wild lettuce bracts and styles

Morphology

Stem

Erect, usually unbranched below, glabrous, containing sticky, brownish latex.

Leaves

Alternate, simple to pinnately lobed, sessile or clasping, ovate to obovate, 8 to 12 inches long, 2 to 4 inches wide; midribs on underside of blades sometimes bristly; margins conspicuously spiny-toothed.

Inflorescence

Panicles, open, cone-shaped; heads terminal, 50-100 heads; bracts lance-shaped, about 1/2 inch long.

Flower

Ray florets 20-30, light blue, pale yellow, or bluish with yellow tips; disk florets absent.

Fruit

Achenes, flat, dark brown, enclosing small seed; beaks thread-like, tipped with numerous white bristles.

Ecology

Habitat

Open prairies and disturbed areas, most abundant on limestone soils.

Distribution

Throughout Kansas.

Additional Notes