Prickly Lettuce
Lactuca serriola
Also listed as Lactuca scariola, Lactuca altaica
Also known as Wild Lettuce, Compass-plant, Lobed Prickly Lettuce
Climate Match for your location
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A weedy annual or winter annual with spiny, blue-green leaves arranged in a rosette, producing small yellow flowers on tall stalks. It thrives in disturbed, dry areas and is considered invasive in many regions.
Why grow it
Prickly lettuce is hardier and more drought-tolerant than cultivated lettuce varieties, requiring minimal inputs once established. It serves as a trap crop or sacrificial plant in permaculture systems, drawing pests away from more valued greens. Young leaves are edible with a bitter flavor profile similar to wild greens like chicory, offering foraged options in systems where volunteer plants are managed rather than eliminated.
Watch out for
The plant's spiny leaf margins and stems can cause minor cuts during handling and harvest. Seeds remain viable in soil for several years, so managing volunteer plants requires consistent removal before flowering if containment is a priority.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Asteraceae
Native Range
Mediterranean and Western Asia
Seasonality
Bloom Season
Harvest Season
Edible Parts
Season of Interest
Herb
Soft non-woody plants of the field layer.
Succession Role
Tolerances & Soil
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Years to Bearing
- Propagation
A weedy annual or winter annual with spiny, blue-green leaves arranged in a rosette, producing small yellow flowers on tall stalks. It thrives in disturbed, dry areas and is considered invasive in many regions.
Climate Match for your location
See how well Prickly Lettuce grows in your area.
Enter your ZIP code and we'll show you how this plant fits your local climate.
Why grow it
Prickly lettuce is hardier and more drought-tolerant than cultivated lettuce varieties, requiring minimal inputs once established. It serves as a trap crop or sacrificial plant in permaculture systems, drawing pests away from more valued greens. Young leaves are edible with a bitter flavor profile similar to wild greens like chicory, offering foraged options in systems where volunteer plants are managed rather than eliminated.
Watch out for
The plant's spiny leaf margins and stems can cause minor cuts during handling and harvest. Seeds remain viable in soil for several years, so managing volunteer plants requires consistent removal before flowering if containment is a priority.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Asteraceae
Native Range
Mediterranean and Western Asia
Seasonality
Bloom Season
Harvest Season
Edible Parts
Season of Interest
Herb
Soft non-woody plants of the field layer.
Succession Role
Tolerances & Soil
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Years to Bearing
- Propagation
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