Scientific Name:
Lactuca muralis
Pronunciation:
lac-TOO-sa mure-AY-liss
Common Name:
wall lettuce
Family Name:
Asteraceae
Plant Type:
Annual, Biennial, Weed (horticultural)
Key ID Features:
Stems erect, 30-90cm tall with milky latex leaking if cut; leaves toothed, lobed almost to midrib with largest lobes towards the apex, 6-18(-25)cm long; flower heads 7-10mm wide comprised of 5 golden-yellow ray florets; achenes about 4mm long with silver-gray hairs.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Coarse
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 8b: (-9.4 to -7 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Full sun only if soil kept moist, Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Rocky or gravelly or dry
Landscape Uses:
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Obovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Truncate
Margins:
Dentate, Incised, Pinnately lobed
Inflorescence Type:
Head (capitulum), Panicle-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Corolla Shape:
Ligulate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Yellow
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Fruit Type:
Cypsela (achene + calyx)
Fruit Colour:
White, Brown
Fruiting Time:
Jul, Sep, Oct
Bark Morphology:
Smooth
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Maintenance:
High
Other:
Be sure to remove plants before flowers fade.
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
