Blue Lettuce (2)

Blue Lettuce grows with a single, erect stem that has a milky sap when broken. The blue to lavender flowers have toothed petals but no central disk florets. They resemble Chicory but the Chicory flowers are larger and grow from the stem rather than the tops of branches, and the plant is taller. The seed head is a dandelion-like plume of white fluff.

Lactuca tatarica var. pulchella

Blue Lettuce
Mulgedium pulchellum (Lactuca tatarica subsp. pulchella)

Family: Sunflower (Asteraceae)
AKA: Russian Blue Lettuce
Photo taken on: August 7, 2023
Location: Almont, CO
Life Zones: Plains to montane
Habitat: Moist meadows, roadsides, stream banks

Grows to 3 feet with lance-shaped leaves on the stems. Upper leaves have smooth edges, lower leaves have shallow lobes.

Lactuca tatarica var. pulchella

Flora of North America reference.
Lactuca graminifolia

Grassleaf Lettuce
Lactuca graminifolia

Family: Sunflower (Asteraceae)
AKA: Wild Lettuce
Photo taken on: July 2, 2020
Location: Tierra Azul Acequia, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones: Plains and foothills
Habitat: Meadows and woods

Grows to 3 feet with long narrow leaves mostly on the lower half of the stem. Lowest leaves are broader and have shallow lobes. Flower heads have an irregular branching pattern without a well-defined central stem.

Flora of North America reference.

Blue/Purple Single Flowers