Family: Asteraceae Prickly Lettuce Lactuca serriola Flowering time: July - September. Annual or biennial Common on disturbed ground, roadsides and waste ground in southern England and the midlands, having spread rapidly from the SE. Pale-yellow flowers with olive-grey, beaked achenes and unequal bracts. Pappus equal, with simple hairs. Thick waxy-green leaves, the lower often pinnate and clasping stems. Small spines occur on leaf edges and beneath veins. Contains a white, milky sap (latex). Height: 30-120cm

Prickly Lettuce, Lactuca serriola
Broadstone, Dorset. July 2022