Lactuca tatarica

Lactuca tatarica
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Lactuca
Species:	L. tatarica
Binomial name
Lactuca tatarica (L.) C.A.Mey.
Synonyms
List Agathyrsus tataricus (L.) D.Don Crepis charbonnelii H.Lév. Lactuca canadensis var. integrifolia (Torr. & A.Gray) Farw. Lactuca clarkei Hook.f. Lactuca elongata var. integrifolia Torr. & A.Gray Lactuca integrifolia Bigelow Lactuca multipes H.Lév. & Vaniot Lactuca tatarica var. integra (Regel) V.Ferakova Lactuca tatarica f. stevensii B.Boivin Lagedium tataricum (L.) Soják Mulgedium alatoicum C.H.An Mulgedium aurora Sch.Bip. ex Nyman Mulgedium roborovskii Tzvelev Mulgedium runcinatum Cass. Mulgedium sonchifolium Vis. & Pancic Mulgedium tataricum (L.) DC. Sonchus lactucoides Bunge Sonchus tataricus L. Sonchus volhynicus Besser ex Nyman Wiestia tatarica (L.) Sch.Bip.

Lactuca tatarica, known as blue lettuce, is a Eurasian flowering plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. It is widespread across much of Europe and Asia.

Lactuca tatarica is an herb up to 60 cm (2 feet) tall with a large taproot. Most of the leaves are near the base of the plant and are larger than leaves farther up the stem. Each flower head has about 20 blue or purple (rarely white) ray flowers and no disc flowers.

Some authors have placed the North American species Lactuca pulchella as a subspecies or variety of a broader concept of Lactuca tatarica, while others consider L. tatarica to occur only in Europe and Asia. Lactuca tatarica (with L. pulchella and others) is commonly separated into the genus Mulgedium, as Mulgedium tatarica.