Wild Blue Lettuce

Flowering heads have about 13 (11 to 17) light blue to white ray flowers. Disc flowers are absent. Flowering heads are many and may number 80 to 100. Involucral bracts have purple tips. Outer bracts are short and broad; inner ones are long, narrow, and lance-shaped. The leaves are broad, lobed, toothed, and attach individually by winged or partially-winged petioles. The number of lobes per leaf varies from about 3 to 9. Lobes are arranged in somewhat staggered pairs, with the lobe at the leaf tip being arrowhead-shaped; some lobes are fused together. Lobed leaves measure up to 30 cm long. Some leaves, near the tip of the stem, may be lance-shaped, rather than lobed. The naked stamens and pistils, seen in the ray flowers of this species, falsely resemble disc flowers. Occurs from July to October, in woodlands and woodland openings. This species is also known as "Florida Lettuce." Native to N. A.