Asteraceae

Prickly lettuce

Lactuca serriola L.

Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Lactuca

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Prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola) — FlowerPhoto: Sean Haight, CC0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (30)

Arabic: خس منشاري
Armenian: Կաթնուկ կողմնացույցային
arz: خس منشارى
azb: بالاغاوتو
Azerbaijani: Yabanı kahı
Belarusian: Салата компасная, Латук компасны
Bulgarian: Компасна салата
Catalan: Laitue scariole
Chinese: 刺萵苣, 毒莴苣, 刺莴苣, 野莴苣, 阿尔泰莴苣, 阿爾泰萵苣
cv: Тискер хурхуххи
Czech: Locika kompasová
Dutch: Kompassla
English: Prickly lettuce
Estonian: Noollehine salat
Finnish: Piikkisalaatti
French: Laitue scariole, Laitue sauvage
German: Stachel-Lattich, Kompass-Lattich, Kompasslattich, Laitue scariole
Hebrew: חסת המצפן
Hungarian: Keszeg saláta
Japanese: トゲチシャ
Korean: 가시상추
Lithuanian: Laitue scariole
mzn: خر کنگر
Persian: کاهوئک
Polish: Sałata kompasowa
Sindhi: ڪاھو
Slovak: Šalát kompasový
Swedish: Taggsallat, Laitue scariole
Ukrainian: Салат компасний, Латук дикий
Welsh: Letusen bigog

Synonyms

Lactuca albicaulis Boiss.
Lactuca altaica Fisch. & C.A.Mey.
Lactuca altaica Fisch. & Mey.
Lactuca augustana All.
Lactuca coriacea Sch.Bip.
Lactuca dubia Jord.
Lactuca elata Salisb.
Lactuca integrata (Gren. & Godr.) A.Nelson
Lactuca kemaliya Yıld.
Lactuca latifolia Gilib.
Lactuca saligna var. robusta Fisch. & C.A.Mey.
Lactuca sativa var. angustana Irish ex Bremer
Lactuca sativa var. angustana L.H.Bailey
Lactuca scariola L.
Lactuca scariola f. scariola
Lactuca scariola subsp. augustana (All.) Arcang.
Lactuca scariola subsp. integrata (Gren. & Godr.) Piper
Lactuca scariola subsp. scariola
Lactuca scariola unranked hortensis Bisch.
Lactuca scariola unranked sylvestris (Lam.) Bisch.
Lactuca scariola var. augustana (All.) Lindem.
Lactuca scariola var. dubia (Jord.) Rouy
Lactuca scariola var. integrata Gren. & Godr.
Lactuca scariola var. integrifolia Bogenh.
Lactuca scariola var. integrifolia Bisch.
Lactuca scariola var. integrifolia Schur
Lactuca scariola var. scariola
Lactuca scariola var. vulgaris Bisch.
Lactuca serriola f. integrifolia (Gray) S.D.Prince & R.N.Carter
Lactuca serriola f. serriola
Lactuca serriola subsp. integrifolia (Gray) G.H.Loos
Lactuca serriola subsp. serriola
Lactuca serriola var. integrata (Gren. & Godr.) Beger
Lactuca serriola var. serriola
Lactuca sylvestris Lam.
Lactuca tephrocarpa K.Koch
Lactuca verticalis Gaterau
Lactuca virosa Thunb.
Lactuca virosa var. integrifolia Gray

Flowers

In flower: July to September (from 1,492 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Annual, Biennial
In the US and Canada: Canada: introduced, Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Sean Haight, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Jamie O'Neill, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Sean Haight, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Roberto Daniel Avila, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FruitPhoto: Sandy Wolkenberg, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Carrie Seltzer, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Llydia, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: mfeaver, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Lactuca

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.