Florida Lettuce is an annual/biennial herb native to eastern and central USA and is found in all areas if NC. In the wild, it is self-seeding. The stem can reach 6 feet tall and bears an inflorescence with many flower heads containing 10-20 blue or white ray florets but has no disc florets. The leaves are edible but bitter in taste and resemble dandelion leaves. It is best to use young leaves raw in salads and cook the older leaves. This plant prefers moist fertile soil in shade to partial shade. More information on Lactuca .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasionally Wet
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Dentate; Lobed
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaf is generally deeply-lobed, pinnately veined, leaves are 3-10" long and 1-4" wide. Leaf has pointed tips, toothed margins and tapered bases
Flower color
Blue; White
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Radial
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Loose panicles of 10-20 ray flowers are 1/2 inch across and light blue to nearly white.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit detail
Fruit is a flattened short-beaked achene featuring white fluffy bristles to float in the wind.
Stem color
Purple/Lavender
Stem detail
Tall purplish-green stems with a white milky sap
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Central & Eastern Canada to U.S.A
Distribution
AL , AR , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , MI , MO , MS , NC , NE , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , SC , SD , TN , TX , VA , WI , WV