Lactuca tatarica subsp. pulchella

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Lactuca tatarica is a California native perennial found in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains and northeastern California desert regions in dry to moist alluvial valleys at elevations of 1,150 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces bright blue flowers in heads 2 to 3 centimeters wide with conspicuous blossoms. Growing with erect stems 30 to 100 centimeters tall, it spreads through extensive underground rhizomes. Its leaves are varied, ranging from linear to elliptic or lanceolate, with entire to lobed edges and bases that narrow but do not clasp the stem. The fruit is red-brown to black, 4 to 5 millimeters long with 4 to 6 distinct ribs, topped with a white pappus 8 to 11 millimeters long.

Habitat: dry to moist alluvial valleys

Bloom period: Jun-Sep

Elevation: 1150-2000 m

Bioregions: CaRH, c SNH, MP

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.