Lactuca biennis
Biennial wild lettuce
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Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Lactuca biennis (Biennial wild lettuce) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by . Key features: native status, flower color, fruit characteristics.
Biennial wild lettuce is a native biennial found in northwestern California and northern central coastal regions in streambanks and conifer forests at elevations below 800 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces pale blue to cream or pale yellow flowers in open heads 10 to 15 millimeters wide. Growing with tall, erect stems 0.5 to 4 meters high, it develops a robust biennial form with a distinctive taproot. Its leaves are diverse, ranging from lanceolate to ovate or elliptic, with lower leaves wing-petioled and upper leaves sessile and clasping, becoming reduced to linear bracts in the flowering cluster. The fruit is an oblong, mottled structure 5 to 7 millimeters long with 5 to 6 ribs on each face, topped by a short, stout beak.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 4 sympatric species. Key features: native status, flower color, fruit characteristics
Habitat and range
Habitat: Streambanks, conifer forest
Elevation: < 800 m
Outside California: to Alaska, eastern North America
Bloom period
Lactuca biennis blooms Jun-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Sonchus: Look at seeds - Lactuca seeds have a distinct beak/neck, Sonchus bristles attach directly to seed.; vs Taraxacum: Taraxacum has all basal leaves on leafless stalks, Lactuca has leafy branching stems.; vs Helminthotheca: Helminthotheca has spiny-bristly outer phyllaries and yellow-orange flowers, Lactuca has smooth phyllaries.; vs Brassica: Brassica has 4-petaled cruciform flowers and long seed pods, not composite heads with bristly seeds.; vs Stephanomeria: Stephanomeria has only 3-9 flowers per small head, Lactuca has many more flowers per head.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lactuca biennis native to California?
Yes. Lactuca biennis is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Lactuca biennis bloom?
Lactuca biennis blooms Jun-Aug.
What plant family does Lactuca biennis belong to?
Lactuca biennis is in the Asteraceae family, genus Lactuca.
What habitat does Lactuca biennis grow in?
Lactuca biennis grows in Streambanks, conifer forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.