Grass-leaf Lettuce
Lactuca graminifolia
Observed along a sunny trail near a riparian area in the ponderosa forest at Washington Park, Gila Co., Arizona. 8 Aug. 2015.
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FLOWERS:
All of the florets in the composite head have strap-shaped corollas, but those around the perimeter are slightly longer and look like rays.
Color is blue-purple. Blooms late spring into summer.
LEAVES: Long narrow leaves with a few short lobes.
BIENNIAL: Rather delicate, herbaceous. Grows in late spring and summer dependent on rainfall. Usually less than 50 cm tall,
but some plants will reach 1 m.
RANGE: Found in meadows and forest edges through much of southern United States of America.
FRUIT: Each head produces one to two dozen black seeds with white plume bristles atop each one.
UNARMED.
Asteraceae -- Sunflower Family
More Information:
- Southwest Environmental Information Network
- USDA Plant Profile
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Google Images
- Google Scholar Literature Search