Tall Blue Lettuce (Lactuca biennis (Moench) Fernald)
↑Summary
A tall biennial native to the more northerly parts of North America.
↑Range - Expand
| Legend | Color |
| Native | |
| Expanded | |
| Native or Not Present | |
| Native or Expanded | |
| Native or Expanded or Not Present |
This tentative map is based on our own research. It may have limited data on Canada and/or Mexico, and there is some subjectivity in our assignment of plants as introduced vs. expanded. Read more in this blog post.
Although this plant occurs somewhere in each of these regions, it may only occur in a small part of some or all of them.
This species has expanded south slightly at the western border of its range; it is a weedy plant with wind-dispersed seeds, and is rarely planted. It is likely expanding due to new habitat humans have created, such as the disturbed and edge habitats it favors.
↑Similar Plants
↑Habitat
Found in sunny gaps in woodlands, including well-drained sites in floodplain forests and open bottomland woods, and in openings in mesic to dry-mesic upland forests. Frequently found in anthropogenic habitats, especially forest edges along roadsides, or along larger paths through forests.
Towards the southeastern edges of its range, restricted to base-rich soils.
↑Links & External Resources
• Lactuca biennis (Tall Blue Lettuce) | USDA PLANTS Database (About This Site)
• Lactuca biennis | Go Botany (About This Site)
• Lactuca biennis | Biota of North America Project (BONAP) (About This Site)
• Lactuca biennis | NatureServe Explorer (About This Site)
• Lactuca biennis | Flora of North America (About This Site)
• Tall Blue Lettuce | Maryland Biodiversity Project (About This Site)
• Lactuca biennis (Tall Blue Lettuce) | Minnesota Wildflowers (About This Site)
• Lactuca biennis (Moench) Fern. (Tall Blue Lettuce) | Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora (About This Site)
↑Photo gallery
