Lactuca muralis

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Lactuca muralis
Mycelis muralis.jpeg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Lactuca
Species:
L. muralis
Binomial name
Lactuca muralis
(L.) Gaertn. 1791 not Fresen. 1832
Synonyms [1]
  • Prenanthes muralisL. 1753
  • Lactuca muralisFresen
  • Mycelis muralis(L.) Dumort
  • Cicerbita muralis(L.) Wallr.
  • Phaenopus muralis(L.) Coss. & Germ.

Lactuca muralis, the wall lettuce, is a perennial flowering plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae, also referred to as Mycelis muralis. [2] [3]

Contents

Its chief characteristic is its open airy clumps of yellow flowers. Each "flower" is actually a composite flower, consisting of 4–5 petal-like flowers (strap or ray flowers), each approximately 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) in length. There are no disc flowers. Lactuca muralis grows about 2–4 feet (0.6–1.2 m) tall with the lower leaves pinnately toothed and clasping.

Description

Mycelis muralis a2.jpg

Lactuca muralis is slender, hairless herb [2] growing from 25 to 150 cm (10 to 59 in) tall. It often has purplish stems, and exudes a milky juice.

The lower leaves are lyre shaped, pinnate shaped. The lobes are triangular in shape, the terminal lobe being the largest. [4] The upper leaves are stalkless, smaller and less lobed. All leaves are red tinged. [5]

The achenes are short beaked, spindle shaped and black. The pappus has simple white hairs, [2] the inner longer than the outer.

The flower heads are yellow, small with only 4–5 yellow ray florets. [6] [2] 1 cm (12 in) wide more or less, on branches 90 degrees to the main stem, in loose panicle. [7] It flowers from June until September. [8]

Lactuca muralis is similar to Lactuca serriola L. and Lactuca virosa L. but clearly distinguished by having only 5 florets. [9]

Taxonomy

The specific Latin epithet muralis is interpreted as 'growing on walls'. [10]

Distribution and ecology

Lactuca muralis is a native of Europe but has invaded shady roadsides, paths and logged areas of the Pacific Northwest [11] and New England [12] It has become naturalized in parts of Northern Ireland as long ago as 1913. [13] It was first recorded in The Burren, where it is now frequent, in 1939. [14]

It can be found in woodlands, especially Beech. [7] It is also found in calcareous soils, and walls.

Related Research Articles

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<i>Lapsana communis</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae

Lapsana communis, the common nipplewort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Europe and southwestern Asia. and widely naturalized in other regions including North America.

<i>Lactuca virosa</i> Species of plant

Lactuca virosa is a plant in the Lactuca (lettuce) genus, often ingested for its mild analgesic and sedative effects. It is related to common lettuce, and is often called wild lettuce, bitter lettuce, laitue vireuse, opium lettuce, poisonous lettuce, tall lettuce, great lettuce or rakutu-karyumu-so.

<i>Cardamine pratensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae

Cardamine pratensis, the cuckoo flower, lady's smock, mayflower, or milkmaids, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is a perennial herb native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia. The specific name pratensis is Latin for "meadow".

<i>Sisymbrium officinale</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Lactuca serriola</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Lactuca serriola, also called prickly lettuce, milk thistle, compass plant, and scarole, is an annual or biennial plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. It has a slightly fetid odor and is commonly considered a weed of orchards, roadsides and field crops. It is the closest wild relative of cultivated lettuce.

<i>Cymbalaria muralis</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae

Cymbalaria muralis, commonly called ivy-leaved toadflax or Kenilworth ivy, is a low, spreading, viney plant with small purple flowers, native to southern Europe. It belongs to the plantain family (Plantaginaceae), and is introduced in North America, Australia, and elsewhere. The flower stalk is unusual for seeking light until it is fertilized, after which it grows away from the light. Other names include coliseum ivy, Oxford ivy, mother of thousands, pennywort, and wandering sailor.

<i>Capnoides</i> Monotypic genus of flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae

Capnoides sempervirens, the harlequin corydalis, rock harlequin, pale corydalis or pink corydalis, is an annual or biennial plant native to rocky woodland and burned or disturbed places in northern North America. Capnoides sempervirens is the only species in the genus Capnoides.

<i>Cirsium eriophorum</i> Species of plant

Cirsium eriophorum, the woolly thistle, is a herbaceous biennial species of flowering plant in the genus Cirsium of the family Asteraceae. It is widespread across much of Europe. It is a large biennial plant with sharp spines on the tips of the leaves, and long, woolly hairs on much of the foliage. The flower heads are large and nearly spherical, with spines on the outside and many purple disc florets but no ray florets.

<i>Epilobium hirsutum</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Onagraceae

Epilobium hirsutum is a flowering plant belonging to the willowherb genus Epilobium in the family Onagraceae. It is commonly known as the great willowherb, great hairy willowherb or hairy willowherb. Local names include codlins-and-cream, apple-pie and cherry-pie.

<i>Epilobium palustre</i> Species of flowering plant

Epilobium palustre is a species of willowherb known by the common name marsh willowherb. This plant has a circumboreal distribution, and can be found farther south in mountainous areas.

Lactuca biennis is a North American species of wild lettuce known by the common names tall blue lettuce and blue wood lettuce. It is widespread across much of the United States and Canada from Alaska and Yukon south as far as California, New Mexico, and Georgia.

<i>Lactuca canadensis</i> Species of lettuce

Lactuca canadensis is a species of wild lettuce known by the common names Canada lettuce, Canada wild lettuce, tall lettuce, and Florida blue lettuce. Its true native range is not clear, but it is considered to be a native of the eastern and central parts of North America. It naturalized in the western part of the continent as well as in Eurasia.

<i>Lactuca saligna</i> Species of lettuce

Lactuca saligna is a species of wild lettuce known by the common name willowleaf lettuce, and least lettuce. It is native to Eurasia but it grows in many other places as an introduced species, including much of North America.

<i>Chaenactis stevioides</i> Species of flowering plant

Chaenactis stevioides, with the common names Esteve's pincushion and desert pincushion, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family. It is also sometimes called false yarrow or broad-leaved Chaenactis.

<i>Cirsium heterophyllum</i> Species of thistle

Cirsium heterophyllum, the melancholy thistle, is an erect spineless herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Europe and western Asia, where it grows in upland meadows, grasslands, road verges and open woodland.

<i>Cirsium dissectum</i> Species of thistle

Cirsium dissectum, also known as meadow thistle, is an erect perennial herb. It is found in England, Wales, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Norway, etc. It is found in fens and less acidic peat bogs i.e. it prefers damp boggy areas.

Lactuca dissecta, the split-leaf lettuce, is an Asian species of plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. It is native to Central Asia, western China, the Himalayas, and southwest Asia as far west as Turkey.

<i>Lactuca floridana</i> Species of lettuce

Lactuca floridana, commonly known as woodland lettuce, Florida lettuce, or false lettuce is a North American species of wild lettuce. It is native across much of central Canada and the eastern and central United States.

Lactuca ludoviciana, the biannual lettuce, is a North American species of wild lettuce. It is widespread across much of central and western Canada and the western and central United States from Ontario west to British Columbia and south to Louisiana, Texas, and California. Most of the known populations are on the Great Plains; populations west of there may well represent naturalizations.

References

  1. "Lactuca muralis". Tropicos . Missouri Botanical Garden.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Parnell, J. and Curtis, T. 2012. Webb's An Irish Flora. Cork University Press. ISBN   978-185918-4783
  3. Altervista Flora Italiana, Lactuca muralis (L.) Gaertn. includes photos and European distribution map
  4. Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg, E.F. 1968 Excursion Flora of the British Isles Second Edition. ISBN   0-521-04656-4 Cambridge
  5. Blamey, Fitter, Fitter, Marjorie, Richard, Alistair (2003). Wild Flowers of Britain and Ireland. A & C Black - London. pp. 302–303. ISBN   0-7136-5944-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. Sterry, Paul (2006). Complete British Wild Flowers. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. pp. 212–213. ISBN   978-0-00-781484-8.
  7. 1 2 Webb, D.A., Parnell, J. and Doogue. D. 1996. An Irish Flora. Dundalgan Press (W. Tempest) Ltd. ISBN   0 85221 131 7
  8. Rose, Francis (1981). The Wild Flower Key. Frederick Warne & Co. pp. 390–391. ISBN   0-7232-2419-6.
  9. Martin, W.K.1965. The Concise British Flora in Colour Ebury Press
  10. Archibald William Smith Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins&pg=PA160 Lactuca muralis , p. 160, at Google Books
  11. Turner and Gustafson, Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest.
  12. "Mycelis muralis (wall-lettuce)". Go Botany. New England Wildflower Society. Retrieved 2018-06-24..
  13. Hackney, P. Ed. 1992. Stewart and Corry's Flora of the North-east of Ireland. Institute of Irish Studies and The Queen's University of Belfast. ISBN   0 85389 446 9(HB)
  14. "Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora:Mycelis muralis". Biological Records centre and Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 18 June 2020.