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• Prickly Lettuce - Complete ID, Edible...
A video all about sow thistle is here which was also shown in this video.
• Sow Thistles - Identification, Descri...
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Prickly Lettuce - Lactuca serriola syn. Lactuca scariola
AKA Wild Lettuce, Compass Plant and Lettuce Opium
Some other plants with some ID points covered are:
Dandelion - Taraxacum officinale
Chicory - Cichorium intybus
Sow Thistle - Sonchus oleraceus
Wild Lettuce gets a lot of attention from people interested in wild edible and medicinal plants mainly due to its pain relieving and sedative effects. Prickly lettuce, or lettuce opium, has been described as an alternative to opiates without the addictive properties and upset stomach that can be caused by opiates. Prickly lettuce AKA wild lettuce has been studied quite a bit, and it's the lactucarium in the milky sap that has been studied and used commercially in products like lozenges, tinctures, and syrups.
Identification of Prickly Lettuce
Prickly lettuce is an annual or biennial plant that has been introduced from Europe. Some sources describe it as being native to North America, but the general consensus appears to indicate it is introduced. Prickly lettuce grows up to 2 m tall, and the stalk can be smooth or prickly with more prickles near the ground.
The leaves of prickly lettuce are alternate as they come off the stem and can be highly variable. When young the leaves of prickly lettuce start out as a basal rosette and can look very similar to dandelion, sow thistle and chicory. The leaves are usually deeply lobed, but can be lobeless, and are bluish-green, have backward pointing lobes, the base of the leaves clasp the stem, the bottom mid-rib has spines, and there are some spines along the margins of the leaves.
Prickly lettuce flowers are yellow composite flowers with ray flowers only. The flowers arise in a terminal cluster that is highly branched and is pyramid shaped.
Prickly Lettuce and Three Look-alikes
Dandelion - Taraxacum officinale
Chicory - Cichorium intybus
Sow Thistle - Sonchus oleraceus
Milky sap that is exuded from prickly lettuce when it is cut or broken will not help to distinguish it from dandelion, chicory, or sow thistle. All four of these plants have edible leaves, and the leaves can look quite similar especially when young. Some traits that can help you distinguish the plants are demonstrated in the video. Dandelion doesn't have prickles and the midvein has no prickles or hairs. Chicory has no prickles on the margins or midvein but has a lot of hairs on the midvein. Sow thistle has prickles on the margins of the leaves but does not have hairs or prickles on the midvein. Prickly lettuce has prickles on the margins of the leaves and prickles on the midvein.
Prickly Lettuce is Edible
Prickly Lettuce Has Medicinal Uses
Warning
Overuse of prickly lettuce can lead to an upset stomach. Also prickly lettuce is a member of the Asteraceae family, so people who are allergic could have a reaction.
Please consume wild plants at your own risk! Consult multiple reliable sources before consuming any wild plants! This video is for information and entertainment only!
References
Dickinson, Richard. Weeds of Canada and the Northern United States. The University of Alberta Press. 1999.
Elias, Thomas and Dykeman, Peter. Edible Wild Plants. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 1982.
MacKinnon, A. Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada. Lone Pine Media Productions (BC) Ltd. 2014.
Meunick, Jim. Basic Essentials: Edible Wild Plants & Useful Herbs. The Globe Pequot Press. 1999.
Nyerges, Christopher. Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants. Chicago Review Press Incorporated. 2014.
Parish, R.; Coupe, R.; and Lloyd, D. Plants of the Inland Northwest and Southern Interior British Columbia. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2018
Pojar, Jim and MacKinnon, Andy. Plants of Coastal British Columbia including Washington, Oregon & Alaska. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2004.
Varner, Collin. Edible and Medicinal Flora of the West Coast: British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd. 2020
Wiles, Briana. Mountain States Medicinal Plants. Timber Press Inc. 2018.
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