Lactuca ludoviciana
Biannual lettuce
(c) Ryan Donnelly, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Lactuca ludoviciana (Biannual lettuce) is a non-native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by . Key features: largest involucre, highest flower count, longest pappus.
Biannual lettuce is a naturalized biennial found in northern California Coast Ranges, California Ranges and Foothills, southern California, and Modoc Plateau in disturbed areas, woodland openings, and shaded environments at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces light blue to yellow flowers in small heads 4 to 5 millimeters wide, arranged in open panicle-like clusters. Growing with erect stems 1 to 2 meters tall arising from a taproot, it develops a distinctive branching structure. Its cauline leaves are oblanceolate to obovate, often clasping the stem, with minutely toothed edges and occasionally featuring widely lanceolate lobes, while the leaf midveins are generally hairy or bristly. The fruit is an elliptic seed 3 to 4 millimeters long, mottled gray and black with a slender 2.5 to 4.5 millimeter beak.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 4 sympatric species. Key features: largest involucre, highest flower count, longest pappus
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed areas, openings in woodland, shaded areas
Elevation: < 1000 m
Outside California: native to central United States
Bloom period
Lactuca ludoviciana blooms Jun-Sep.
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 ludoviciana native to California?
No. Lactuca ludoviciana is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Lactuca ludoviciana bloom?
Lactuca ludoviciana blooms Jun-Sep.
What plant family does Lactuca ludoviciana belong to?
Lactuca ludoviciana is in the Asteraceae family, genus Lactuca.
What habitat does Lactuca ludoviciana grow in?
Lactuca ludoviciana grows in Disturbed areas, openings in woodland, shaded areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.