Florida blue lettuce
StarLactuca floridana
Synonyms: Wiestia floridana, Cicerbita floridana, Wiestia acuminata, Prenanthes sonchoides, Lactuca floridana var. villosa, Cicerbita acuminata, Lactuca floridana f. leucantha, Mulgedium lyratum, Mulgedium villosum, Sonchus floridanus, Mulgedium floridanum var. acuminatum, Mulgedium floridanum, Lactuca acuminata, Cicerbita villosa, Sonchus acuminatus, Mulgedium acuminatum
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
The bitter milky latex of Lactuca floridana has been employed in domestic herbal practice in the southeastern United States as a mild sedative and as a substitute for wild lettuce (L. virosa) preparations, particularly for restlessness and minor sleeplessness; young foliage is also eaten as a cooked pot-herb (Foster & Duke, 2000; Phillips, 1979).
Gallery
Botanical Description
Lactuca floridana (L.) Gaertn. (Asteraceae) is an erect biennial or short-lived perennial herb of moist woods, thickets, and stream margins across the central and southeastern United States, growing 0.6–2 m tall from a stout taproot exuding a bitter white latex. Stems are smooth, often glaucous and purplish below, and unbranched until the inflorescence. Leaves are alternate, lyrate-pinnatifid to coarsely toothed, 10–30 cm long, with the lower leaves deeply lobed and the upper progressively reduced. The inflorescence is an open, much-branched panicle of numerous heads, each 1–1.5 cm across with 11–17 pale blue to blue-violet (rarely white) ligulate ray florets and no disk. Achenes are flattened, brown to black, with a slender beak and a soft white pappus. Flowering occurs from midsummer into autumn.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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