Lactuca saligna
Narrow leaved wild lettuce
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Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Lactuca saligna (Narrow leaved wild lettuce) is a non-native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by . Key features: narrow leaves, annual habit, few flowers per head, long thread-like beak.
Narrow leaved wild lettuce is a naturalized annual found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada foothills, Sacramento Valley, Central Western California, and Southwest California in roadsides and grasslands at elevations below 750 meters. Flowering from July to November, this plant produces pale yellow flowers in small heads 4 to 5 millimeters wide, arranged in narrow, spike-like clusters. Growing with multiple stems 30 to 100 centimeters tall, initially decumbent and arching upward or erect, the plant has smooth or slightly bristly stems near the base. Its leaves are linear to lanceolate, with a sagittate or hastate base that clasps the stem, sometimes featuring a few linear lobes. The fruit is brown with dark mottling, 2.5 to 3.5 millimeters long, topped with a thread-like beak 5 to 6 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 5 sympatric species. Key features: narrow leaves, annual habit, few flowers per head, long thread-like beak
Habitat and range
Habitat: Roadsides, grassland
Elevation: < 750 m
Outside California: to eastern United States, native to Europe
Bloom period
Lactuca saligna blooms Jul-Nov.
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 saligna native to California?
No. Lactuca saligna is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Lactuca saligna bloom?
Lactuca saligna blooms Jul-Nov.
What plant family does Lactuca saligna belong to?
Lactuca saligna is in the Asteraceae family, genus Lactuca.
What habitat does Lactuca saligna grow in?
Lactuca saligna grows in Roadsides, grassland.
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.