prickly lettuce

Lactuca serriola

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Genus: Lactuca

About

Lactuca serriola, also called prickly lettuce, milk thistle (not to be confused with Silybum marianum, also called milk thistle) compass plant, and scarole, is an annual or biennial plant in the dandelion tribe within the daisy family. 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 (Lactuca sativa L.).