Launaea intybacea
Bull. Soc. Bot. Genève, sér. 2, 2: 114. 1910.
Common names: Wild-lettuce
IntroducedIllustrated
Basionym: Lactuca intybacea Jacquin in J. A. Murray, Syst. Veg. ed. 14, 713. 1784
Synonyms: Brachyramphus intybacea (Jacquin) de Candolle
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 19. Treatment on page 272.
Leaves (5–)10–25+ × 2–6(–12) cm, usually runcinately to sinuately lobed, bases ± auriculate, ultimate margins spinulo-denticulate, apices acute to acuminate. Involucres 10–15 mm. Cypselae 4–5 mm; pappi 6–9 mm. 2n = 18 (as Lactuca runcinata).
Phenology: Flowering year-round.
Habitat: Disturbed sites, roadsides, coastal strands, agricultural lands
Elevation: 0–5[–1200+] m
Distribution
Introduced; Fla., Tex., Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, introduced also in Old World.
Discussion
Launaea intybacea is occasionally used for food. It is a very successful r-strategist and is listed as a noxious plant in A Global Compendium of Weeds (R. Randall, http://www.hear.org/gcw/index.html).
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
None.